romo joins us to talk about the 2012 campaign. and a doctor joins us to talked about conditions in u.s. hospitals. also, a discussion with a guest from the bureau of labor statistics and another of the ran corporationd . the topic is workplace safety and occupational hazards. >> to the first of the presidential debate next wednesday, live on c-span, c- span radio, and online at c- span.org. watch and engage. over the next half an hour, first is a it is really prime minister netanyahu. he is followed by a palestinian president mahmoud abbas.

after that, a briefing at the pentagon. our live coverage of political debate continues at 11:00 p.m. eastern with the candidates for senate in nevada. representative heller this is representative berkeley. this race is a toss up. >> israeli prime minister netanyahu spoke about diplomacy and sanctions that are not working with regards to iran. his comments are half an hour. [applause] >> thank you.

>> we invite prime minister netanyahu to speak before the assembly. >> thank you. it is a pleasure to see the general assembly presided by the ambassador from israel. it is good to see all of you distinguished delegates. ladies and gentlemen, 3000 years ago king david reigned over the jewish states in at the capitol of jerusalem. i say that to all of those who proclaim that the jewish state has no roots in our region and that it will soon disappear.

throughout our history, the jewish people have overcome all of the tyrants who have sought our destruction. it is their ideologies that have been discarded by history. the people of israel live on. brew, we live forever. [applause] the jewish people have lived in the land of israel for thousands of years. even after most of our people were exiled from at, jews continued to land in israel throughout the ages. our people never give up the dream of returning to our

ancient homeland. defying the laws of history, we did just that. we gathered the exiles. we store our -- restored our independence and rebuild our life. the jewish people have come home. we will never be uprooted again. [applause] yom kippur.as your income f we have come together on this day of reflection and atonement. we take stock of our past. we pray for our future. we remembered are persecution --

our persecution. we remember the great travails of our dispersion. we mourn the extermination of 6 million people in the holocaust. but at the end of this holiday, we celebrate the birth of israel. we celebrate the terrorism of our young men and women who defended -- heroism of our younn and women who defended israel. in israel, we walk the same paths tried by abraham and jacob.

we blaze new trails in science, technology, medicine, agriculture. in israel, the past and the future find common ground. unfortunately, that is not the case in many other countries. today, a great battle is being waged between the modern and the medieval. the forces of maternity seek a bright future -- modernity seek a bright future in which the rights of everyone is protected. in which every life is sacred. the forces of medievalism seek a world in which women and minorities are it segregated and knowledge is suppressed and in

which not life, but death is glorified. nowhere more starkly than in the middle east. israel stands proudly with the forces of modernity. we protect the rights of all of our citizens, men and women, jews and arabs, muslims and christians, all are equal before the law. our scientists when noble prizes -- win nobel prizes. we prevent hunger by irrigating land in africa and asia. recently i was deeply moved when i visited one of our technological institutes.

i saw a man paralyzed from the waist down climb up a flight of stairs fairly easily with the aid of an isreali man. isreal exceptional creativity is matched with creativity and passion. when disaster strikes anywhere in the world, is really and doctors are among the first on the scene -- isreali doctors are among the first on the scene. i have lost both my father and father in law. in the same hospital wards were they retreated, isreali doctors were treating arabs. thousands of arabs from the palestinian territories and arabs from throughout the middle

east come to israel to be treated in isreali hospitals by isreali doctors. that is the truth. it is important that you are aware of this. it is because is real treasures life that is real treasures peace and seeks peace. we seek to preserve our historic ties and peace treaties with egypt and jordan. we seek to forge peace with the palestinians. president abbas just spoke here. we will not solve our compl nflicts with libel speeches at the u.n.

we have to sit together and negotiate together and reach a mutual compromise in which a palestinian state recognizes the one and only jewish state. [applause] israel wants to see middle east of progress and peace. we want to see the three great the legends that sprang forth with respect.n -- to deis they seeks supremacy over all.

they want to destroy israel and america. you want to distinguish freedom. the want to end the modern world. militant islam has many branches from the rulers of iran with the revolutionary guards to al qaeda terrorist and the radical list lurking in every part of the globe. despite the differences, they are all bruited in the same bitter soil of intolerance. that intolerance is directed first to their fellow muslims and then to christians, jews, brutus, hindus, secular people -- hindus, secular people, buddhists.

i am sure of one thing -- ultimately, they will fail. life will penetrate the darkness. we have seen that happen before. some 500 years ago, the printing press helped pry europe out of a dark age. eventually ignorance gave way to enlightenment. so too with the middle east yield to the power of technology. when this happens, our region will be guided not by fanaticism and conspiracies, but by reason and curiosity. i think the relevant question is this -- it is not whether

this fanaticism will be defeated. it is, how many lives will be lost before it is defeated? we have seen that happen before, too. some 70 years ago, the world saw another fanatic ideology bent on world conquest. it went down in flames, but not before it took millions of people with it. oppose theoppose fanaticism waited too long to react. in the end, the tyrant, but at a horrific cost. my friends, we cannot let that happen again. at stake is not nearly the future of my country, but the stake of the future of the world. nothing can imperil our common future more than the army of iran with nuclear weapons.

to understand what the world will be like with a nuclear- armed iran, imagine the world with a nuclear armed al qaeda. it makes little difference whether these lethal weapons are in the hands of the world's most dangerous terrorist regime or the world will the mark most dangerous organization. they are both driven by hatred and the lust for violence. look of what the iranian regime has done up to now. without nuclear-weapons. in 2009, to buy brutally put down protests -- they brutally put down the protest in their country. there are thousands of syrians who are slaughtered, including children.

they have better the killing in soldiers in iraq and continue to do so in afghanistan. before that, that killed hundreds of american troops in saudi arabia. the have turned areas -- thousands of these rockets have been fired at israeli communities. in the last year, they have spread the international terror networks to two dozen countries across the continents india to bulgaria. they have even plotted to blow up a restaurant a few blocks from the white house in order to kill a diplomats. of course, the iran rulers

repeatedly denied the holocaust. they called for israel's destruction on a daily basis, as they did this week from the united nations. i asked you, given this record of an iranian aggression without nuclear weapons, imagine an iranian aggression with nuclear weapons. imagine their long-range missiles fit with nuclear warheads. their terror networks armed with atomic bombs. who among you would feel safe in the middle east? who would be safe in europe? who would be safe in america? who would be safe anywhere? there are those who believe that

a nuclear-armed iran can be deterred like a soviet union. that is a very dangerous assumption. militant jihadists behave very differently from secular marxists. they are no soviet suicide bombers. deterrents worked with the soviets because every time the soviets faced a choice between the ideology and their survival, they chose their survival. the deterrent do not work with iranians once they get nuclear- weapons. there is a great scholar in the middle east professor lewis who put it like this -- for iran,

mutually assured destruction is not a deterrent. it is an inducement. iran's apocalyptic leaders believe that a holy man will reappear in the wake of a devastating holy war and insuring that their brand of radical islam will rule the earth. that is not only what they believe, but what is guiding their policies and actions. he said, "the use of one nuclear bomb in israel would kill everything. it is not irrational to contemplate such an eventuality ."

that is coming from one of the so-called "moderates" of iran. shockingly, some people have begun to peddle that absurd notion that a nuclear of iran would actually stabilize the middle east. yeah, right. that is like saying a nuclear armed al qaeda with our share in an era of universal peace. ladies and gentlemen, i have been speaking about the need to prevent iran from developing nuclear weapons for over 15 years. i spoke about it in my first term in office as prime minister. i spoke about it when i left office. i spoke about it when it was fashionable and i spoke about it when it was not fashionable. and speak about it now because the hour is getting a late, very late.

i speak of it now because the iranian nuclear calendar does not take time out for anyone or for anything. i speak about it now because when it comes to the survival of my country, it is not only my right to speak, it is my duty to speak. [applause] i believe that this is the duty of every responsible leader who wants to preserve world peace. for nearly a decade, the international community has tried to stop the iranian nuclear program with diplomacy. that has not worked. iran uses diplomatic negotiations as a means to buy time to advance its nuclear program. for over seven years, over seven

years the international community has tried sanctions with iran. under the leadership of president obama and the international community, the united nations has put them under some of the strongest sanctions today. oil exports have been correct. the iranian economy has been hit hard. it does have an effect on the economy. we must face the truth. sanctions have not stopped iran's nuclear program. according to the international atomic energy agency, during the last year alone, iran has doubled the number of energy uses in its underground nuclear facility. at this late hour, there is only one way to peacefully prevent

iran from getting atomic bombs, and that is by placing a clear nucleare on iran's weapons program. [applause] red lines do not lead to war. they prevent war. look at nato's charter. it made clear that an attack on one member country would be considered an attack on all. new's redlined helps keep the peace in europe for nearly half a century -- red lines have helped keep the peace in europe for nearly half a century. and help preserve the peace for decades. it is the failure to place red lines that has often invited

aggression. if it were drawn in the 1930 baltimore, world war ii might the been avoided -- 1930's, world war ii might have been avoided. the first gulf war might have been avoided. clear, red lines will also work with iran. earlier this year, they threatened to close the strait. the united states drew a clear, red line. iran backed off. different lines can be drawn in the i iranian nuclear program. but to be credible, a line must be drawn first and foremost in

one vital part of their program -- on their efforts to enrich uranium. let me explain why. any bomb consists of an explosive material and a mechanism to ignite it. the simplest example is fuse.der in and a you light the fuse and set off the gunpowder. the gunpowder is enriched uranium in regards to iran's nuclear program. the fuse is a detonator. for iran, amassing enough uranium is far more difficult than producing a nuclear fuse. for a country like iran, it takes many, many years to enrich uranium for a bomb. that requires thousands of center fuses spinning in tandem

in big industrial plants. those are green plants are visible. they are still vulnerable. in contrast, iran could produce a record detonator, the fuse, in a lot less time. maybe under a year. maybe only a few months. the detonator can be made in a small workshop the size of the classroom. it might be difficult to find and target that workshop, especially in iran. that is a country that is bigger than france, germany, italy, and britain combined. the same is true for the small facility in which they can assemble a warhead or a nuclear device that could be placed in a container ship. chances are, you'll not find

that facility either. the only way that you can credibly prevent iran from developing a nuclear weapon is to prevent iran from amassing enough enriched uranium for a bomb. how much enriched uranium do you need for a bomb? how close is iran to getting it? let me show you. i have a diagram for you. here is the diagram. this is a bomb. this is the fuse. plan toase of iran's build a nuclear bomb, this bomb has to be filled with enough enriched uranium. iran has to go through three stages. the first page, the have to in rich enough uranium -- enrich

enough uranium. second, they need to enrich enough medium uranium. the third and final stage, the high uranium.ch enouenrich iran has completed the first stage. it took them many years, but they have completed it. they are 70% of the way there. they are well into the second stage. by next spring, at most by the summer, they will have finished meidumting in richmo -- enrichment and move on into the final stage. they will have enough uranium

for the first bomb. what i have told it is not based on secret information. it is not based on military intelligence. it is based on the public report of the international atomic energy agency. anyone can read them. they are on liline. if these are the facts, and they are, why should a red line be drawn? a red line should be drawn right here. before you run completes the second stage of nuclear enrichment necessary to make a bomb, before iran gets to a point where it is a few months or weeks away from amassing enough uranium to make a nuclear weapon.

each day that point is getting closer. and that is why i speak with such urgency. that is why everyone should have a sense of the urgency. there are some who claim that even if you run completes the iranian process, even if it crosses that red line, our intelligence agencies will know iran will when the light the fuse. no one appreciates our intelligence agencies more than the prime minister of israel. all of these leading intelligence agencies are superb, including ours. they have boiled many attacks -- foiled many attacks and have saved many lives, but they are

not foolproof. our intelligence agencies did not know that iran is building a huge uranium plant under a mountain for two years. ladies and gentlemen, the relevant question is not when iran will get the bomb. the relevant question is, at what stage, no longer stop iran from getting the bomb? the red line must be drawn on their enrichment uranium program. these facilities are the only nuclear installations that we can definitely see and credibly target. faced with a red line, iran

will back down. this will give us more time with diplomacy and sanctions to dismantle its nuclear program altogether. two days ago from this podium, president obama reiterated that the threat of nuclear arms iran cannot be contained. i very much appreciate his position, as does everyone in my country. we share the goal of stopping yvonne's nuclear-weapons program. this will unite the people of -- nuclearing iran's weapons program. this will unite the people and the leaders of the world. but i said today will help ensure that this common goal is achieved. israel is in discussions with the united states over this issue.

i am confident that we can chart a path forward together. ladies and gentlemen, the clash odernity and aternit ism is not a clash of -- the jewish people have always looked toward the future. throughout history, we have been at the forefront of efforts to expand liberty and promote equality and a dance human rights. we have championed these principles -- championed human rights. we treat all with dignity and

compassion, pursue justice and cherish life, and to pray and strive for peace. these are the time as the all of my people. these are that jewish people's greatest gift to mankind. but does commit ourselves to defend these values so that weakened protect these freedoms -- so that we can protect these freedoms and protect civilization. thank you. [applause] >> palestinian president abbas criticized for what he calls an occupied campaign against palestinians.

[applause] >> i have a great pleasure in welcoming the palestinian organization and president of the palestinian authority, his presidency mahmoud abbas to address the assembly. >> in the name of god, the compassionate and the merciful, president of the general assembly, ladies and gentlemen, i wish to begin by extending appreciation to the heads of all

delegations. we stressed the urgency for progress toward the realization of a just peace in our region and for the fulfillment by the palestinian people for the national rights. ladies and gentlemen, developments over the past year have confirmed what we have persistently drawn attention to and warned of the catastrophic danger. during the past month, attacks -- haveorists and delicious become a daily reality. we are facing relentless attacks against our people, our onkmonk,

monasteries, and schools. they are unleashing against crops and properties. our people have become targets and abused with occupying forces and the israeli government. the settler is attack should not surprise anyone, for it is the inherent code on the continuation of occupation anti-dormant policy that deems the satisfaction to be the absolute priority. it is that isreali curriculum

and extremist opinions that are ripe with hatred and are rooted in discriminatory laws created and enacted over the years against the palestinian people, as well as by the security apparatus which provide excuse after excuse for the accelerated -- the fabricate excuses for soldiers who have committed what are clearly considered crimes and acts of murder, torture, and abuse. over the past year since the

convening of the general assembly's previous assembly, the occupying insisted -- it is a campaign aimed at altering the mankind.s it is a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the palestinian people via demolition of their homes and prevention of their construction and residency rights and the denial of basic .ervices and schools they took the city and prevent millions of palestinians from 3 accessing its schools, churches,

hospitals, and markets. the occupying power has continued its construction and expansion of settlements in areas throughout the west bank and continued suffocating locals and raids against people who continue to suffer from the destructive aggression committed against them years ago. nearly 5000 palestinians also remain captive as prisoners and detainees in isreali jails. we call on the international community to tell the government of israel to respect our conventions and to investigate

the conditions of the contention -- detention of the detainees. we ask for their release. they are soldiers in their struggle for freedom and peace. at the same time, the occupying power continues to fight and besieged and to influence severe restrictions on movement, preventing the palestinian authorities from instrumented vital infrastructure projects and providing services to its citizens. they are being prevented from cultivating their lands and water from being irrigated. in vast areas of the occupied palestinian territory which are classified as serious subject to

the absolute control of occupation encompassing approximately 60% of the west bank territory. the occupying power continues to deliberately demolish what we are building. they are destroying the projects involving building roads and homes for its citizens and agricultural facilities. in fact, over the past 12 months, the israeli occupying forces have demolished a 510 palestinian structures in these areas, displacing 770 palestinians from their homes. these measures have caused great damage to our economy and impeded our development

activity. the compound our people under occupation and from by financial institutions. is a real policy is leading to the weakening of the mining and ability to carry out its functions. it threatens to undermine its very existence or threaten its collapse. all of this is taking place in the context of an isreali political discourse that does not hesitate to brandish an aggressive extremist positions.

it is in sight and religious conflict. this is something we firmly abject based on our principles and convictions. due to our understanding of what it means to fuel such fires in this very sensitive area full of explosives and how it can fuel the action of extremists from various quarters, especially those trying to be tolerant. ladies and gentlemen, as proof of our seriousness and sincere intention to create an opening conducted [indiscernible]

at the beginning of this year upon the initiative of the kingdom of jordan. we have also encouraged the expressed desires of several countries to contribute to efforts to break the cycle of deadlock. we have also undertaken an initiative to have favorable conditions. unfortunately, the result of all of these initiatives has been very negative. mr. president, ladies and gentlemen, there can only be one meeting of debt is a of government actions in our homeland. a permanent status agreement to end the conflict and achieve peace.

when understanding leads to one conclusion. the isreali accepts the two state solution. the two state solution, namely the state of palestinian coexist with the state of israel, represents the spirit of this for a compromise in this declaration of principles signed 19 years ago. it is a compromise in which the palestinian people accepted to establish their state and only 22% of the territory of historic palace been -- palestine.

there is an intensification of isreali measures in the emptying the course -- making it the extremely difficult if not impossible. mr. president, ladies and gentlemen, is really government -- isreali government has large areas in the occupied palestinian territory. they continue to occupy a large area of the territory. it refuses to engage in any serious discussion of the palestinian refugees. it wants to continue its occupation of palestinian

warfare and its control over the most across the areas in our land, air, borders, and our life in its entirety. the border can be done in accordance with isreali off show as the following -- there are checkpoints and vast security along roads devoted to people being subject to the full dominance of military occupation and package under new names for a so-called state with

borders. i repeat, a state with provisional borders. we categorically reject this because it should not bring about peace. mr. president, if we refuse to allow the palestinian people to attain their rights and freedoms and reject these establishment from the state of palestine, israel is promising the palestinian people a new catastrophe. a new setback. i speak on behalf of an angry people, and people that feel while they fight for their right to freedom and adhere to the

principles and rules of international law, rewards --ntinue to be logically isreal continues to enjoy impunity. some continue to obstruct the adoption of a position regarding isreali law and covenant. this represents a license for the occupation to continue its policy of dispossession and ethnic cleansing to entrench its cistesystem on the palestinian people. ladies and gentlemen, despite our genuine feelings of anger,

we in the name of the palestinian organization and the sole representative of the palestinian people, the sole legitimate representative of the palestinian people will not accept to be divided into two. we are the sole legitimate representative of the palestinian people. i reaffirm that we are as committed to peace and international diplomacy in this covenant as much as we are equally and by the same measure upholding our inalienable rights and aspirations. we reaffirm the we are committed to non-violence. we reject terrorist in all its forms. despite our feelings of disappointment and our despair, we continue to sincerely extend our hand in peace to the

isreali people. we realize that the two people must live and co exist each in their respective state in the holy land. further, we also realized that the way to make peace is through negotiations between the palestinian organization and israel. despite the complexities of reality at all of the frustrations that we face before the international community, there is still a chance to save the two state solution and to salvage peace. however, this urgent fact must be pursued by a new approach. to repeat and experience that is futile.

this would result in failure and provide a cover for occupation and deal the final blow to a dying peace process. those who advise us to wait, the festering situation us in our country has its own timing. it cannot stand further procrastination or delay. the approach requires for salvaging the chance of peace. it must be predicated on the understanding [indiscernible]

this approach also requires a reaffirmation and adherence to the terms and basics of the solution to the concept which had been endorsed by all of you. the core component of it do not require -- what is needed is the will to implement these components. merit the negotiations are not required to define them. rather what is needed is the sincere intention to reach peace. of those components are by no means intractable rebels. they are the clearest -- intractable riddles. they are clear.

this includes the establishment of an independent state of palestine with east jerusalem as its capital over the entire territory occupied by isreal and the realization of a just agreed solution to the palestine issues in accordance with resolution 194.3. indeed, the fundamental components of the solution to the conflict exist in the documents and resolutions of the united nations. you have it. it is also endorsed in the resolutions of regional organizations beginning with arab states and islamic cooperation and the african is union. it can be found in the statements of the european union and in that international

quartet. however, what is the use of those documents if is encouraged to continue to oppose the terms of reference? the international community embodied in the united nations is required now more than ever before to uphold its responsibility. the security council is called upon to are gently adopt a resolution comprising the basis and foundation for a solution to the palestinian and israeli conflict that would serve as a binding reference and guidance for the two states of israel and palestine if to prevail in the land of peace, the birthplace of jesus, peace be upon him, the profit mohamad, peace be upon

him, and abraham, peace be upon him. mr. president, ladies and gentlemen, all things considered, the establishment of the three and independent states of -- the establishment of the free and independent state of palestine is a right to the people that must be realized. it is long overdue for too many decades. it is a bright. the palestinian people are entitled -- it is a right. the palestinian people are entitled to this right. [applause] at the same time, the palestinian national authority has affirmed new implementation

of its state building program. it will have an effective modern state through the development of the performance of its execution and finance management to the adoption of transparency, accountability and rules of good governments. -- governance. these achievements have been deemed by the liaison committee , the world bank, and the imf to constitute an impressive undertaking and success story. it was one -- the latest report confirmed a full palestinian authority for the transition to

an independent state while at the same type stressing that that is really occupation remains the only -- the isreali of the picture remains the only obstacle at this time. mr. president, ladies and gentlemen, a year ago during the previous session of the general assembly, we submitted our application for consideration by the security council to allow the state of palestine to assume its rightful place among the community of nations as a full member in the united nations. and up for it was voiced by some against this political and peaceful step by a certain its basis and foundation. however, our endeavor was aborted despite the fact that a

majority of the countries of the world have endorsed as and continue to support our application. i do not see a single reason for opposing this request. yet when the countries of the world have the opportunity to declare their stance without any restrictions or veto last autumn, they voted. they voted despite enormous pressure in strong support of the acceptance of palestinian as a member of unesco. a year has passed and roletinian is playing the in unesco what height proportionality --

professionalism. in order to advance of detectives of the organization. in order to enhance the chances for peace, ladies and dr. ben, we will continue our efforts -- [applause] >> and for the same purpose, we have begun intensive

cooperation. we are confident that the vast majority of the countries of the world support our endeavor aimed at salvaging -- in our endeavors, to assert the state that is palestine. [applause] not attempting to delist -- to did little but hamas -- to delegitimize them.

a large portion of those immediate victims and witnesses have died with their memories preserved in their minds and hearts about the beautiful world that was devastated. they're warm homes that were demolished. and there peaceful villages that were raised from existence. and about the renaissance that was undermined about their loved ones, the men women and children who were killed in wars, massacres, tax, raids, and about the beautiful country that was the beacon of coexistence,

progress, and a crossroads of civilization. they died in the camps of displacement and refuge to which they were expelled. they awaited the moment which they would resume their lives and complete their journey that was interrupted. they died while they clung to their legitimate human right to justice and freedom. as the time not come to undo this injustice? 77% of the palestinian people are under the age of 35.

they did not experience the horrors, but they know very well all the horrendous details from the accounts told to them by their parents and grandparents who been diverted -- endured it. as a result of the practices of the occupation on the land that is diminishing on the rise -- and the horizon before them that is blocking their simple, ordinary dreams. they see their homelands and they say firmly, we shall not allow it to happen. i say to you, ladies and gentleman, that the great palestinian people will not allow themselves to be the victim.

we will stay in our land. my people will continue their steadfastness and their eternal survival tourney in their beloved homeland. every inch of which carries the evidence and landmarks affirming their roots and unique connection throughout ancient history. there is no homeland for us except palestine. there is no land for us but palestine. we shall not accept an alternative homeland to ignore an alternative land. palestine is our homeland and shall remaino. our people will continue to build institutions and will continue to strive to achieve

natural -- national league record and put -- natural reconciliation. by resorting to the ballot boxes which will confirm our people's democratic choice. our people are also determined to continue popular resistance, peaceful popular resistance. consistent with international humanitarian law. for the sake of freedom, independence, and peace. mr. president, ladies and gentleman, a new member in the holy land. -- prevent the occurrence in the holy land. support a free, independent state of palestine now.

let peace be victorious before it is too late. peace be upon you. [applause] >> the president of libya also spoke to the general assembly for a half-hour. his comments included a response to the recent violence in his country that led to the death of four americans. >> in the name of god, merciful

and compassionate. >> i have the pleasure of introducing his excellency, muhamed el-magarief, president of libya, and to invite him to address the assembly. [applause] >> in the name of god, the merciful, the compassionate, mr. president, your majesties, excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure at the outset to express my congratulations to the leader of the general assembly on his election. i would also like to commend the leadership of last year's session. i would also like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to mr. ban ki moon, secretary-general of the united nations, for all the efforts he is making to realize the charters, objectives, and purposes. mr. president, three years ago, a despot who ruled my country for 42 years with oppression and an iron fist, he stood on this very rostrum and tore a copy of the charter of the united nations, saying he did not recognize the authority of that document.

today, i am standing on the very same rostrum affirming my country support of the charter of the united nations and our respect for it. i stand before you today, before the entire world, to apologize for all the harm, all the crimes committed by that does but against -- that despot against so many citizens, for the terrorism he needed on some

of the states. -- he meted on so many states. i would like to stress we are determined to build a state that respects its neighbors, one that respects its international commitments and believes that genuine peace in the world will not be realized unless the conscience of every individual is focused on peace. columbia shall be a land of peace and security and a force for peace. -- lybia shall be a land of peace and security and a force for peace. i bring you the greeting of a people that are rose on february 17, 2011 in a

comprehensive, explosive revolution that shook the foundations of the regime of these limited despot -- all lunatic despot muammar gaddafi who declared he would destroy libya, who would make it a swim in a bloodbath. he killed thousands of civilians, recruited mercenaries from everywhere. he crossed every value and ordered his militias and mercenaries to rape miners -- minors, one who destroyed cities.

but our people did not back down. thousands were among the loss. the price of freedom was at a price of blood, live, amputated limbs, and lost youth. from this place on behalf of the libyan people, i greet the organization of the united nations that stood by our people, by our will for freedom against blood lust and nihilism, one that had adopted resolutions 1970 and 1973 into the security council to protect the citizens in libya against krenz, against violations of human rights. mr. president, i stand before you today representing the

libyan people, eight people that are building the institutions of democracy following the fall of dictatorship. the world has witnessed the first free and transparent elections in libya where the general national council was collected. i was honored to be elected as its leader. the world through these united nations gave us complete, a genuine support for that

achievement. in our revolution for freedom and in the challenge of the set -- of establishing democracy, the conscience of the world was with us, both in deeds and in thoughts. support was offered from everyone and from everywhere. among those offering help, was ambassador chris stevens. a voice of reason and conscience, a man of love, a messenger of friendship, who came to libya following the outbreak of our freedom revolution, one who touched the people's feelings, who traveled from tripoli to them western mountains and back and all across libya. chris stevens spoke to everyone

in arabic, always smiled, and showed care. this human diplomat had found his place -- has found his place in the consciousness of the libyan people. it was a day of sadness throughout libya when he was assassinated.

along with his three aides. we would like to express our deepest condolences to the american people for this grave loss. it was a loss for libya, as it was a loss for the united states of america. we stress to the united states, its government, and it people that this catastrophe will only increase our solidarity to entrench the hopes and objectives in which ambassador chris stevens believed. we shall the feed -- defeat the backboards plots of the terrorists who do not represent libya, i do not represent islam. islam is a religion of peace and love, just as president obama said from this rostrum to days ago. our future will be a future chartered by people like chris stevens, not by people like his killers. in this context, i would like to express my condolences to the libyan people and to misrata for the death of a man who is joined some long list of martyrs five days ago.

mr. president, i would like to express my deep appreciation for the actions of the administration following that moment of depression -- of distress. my mission is to pursue the perpetrators and bring them to justice. we shall make our utmost to strengthen the necessary protection granted to diplomatic and consular missions, and to ensure the safety of their employees and facilities. this painful event in no way expresses the feelings of the libyan people as people of moderation, hospitality, and gratitude. the large demonstrations condemning this lascivious crime in the city of van ghazi -- benghazi and other libyan cities is the true reflection of a feeling of the libyan people and its feelings toward violence and extremism. libya will never be home to extremist groups. we shall always be a peaceful moslem country, one of moderation -- peaceful muslim country, one of moderation. mr. president, the new libya will be a place of hospitality, transparency, enabling women and youth.

it will be a libya by all and for all at the same time. it cannot fail to condemn the anti- islam campaign and those defaming his profit. -- prohet. such campaigns increase hatred and provocation and attention among civilizations. they go beyond the concept of free expression. this makes it necessary for the general assembly of the united nations to adopt a covenant in order to criminalize actions that are insulting of the symbols of all religions. and we, as muslims, believe fully in the unity of mankind,

of the brotherhood of man, and we express our support for dialog between religions and cooperation, tolerance, and humanitarian values. therefore, my country supports all efforts being made within the dialogue between civilizations, cultures, and religions within the united nations and other organizations. mr. president, since the revolution of 17 february, 2011, libya has witnessed an uprising by the libyan people against social injustice and political oppression. this did not stop at merely changing the dictatorial ruling regime. indeed, it went forward toward a full transformation to a genuine and democratic system,

based on the respect of human rights, animal feed store -- multi-authority political system, the peaceful handing over of power, and to the principles of international law as well as the charter of the united nations. perhaps, you have followed the consecutive political developments in libya in the first few months on the road to democratic transformation, the rebuilding of state institutions, the election of the general national congress, that will through a constituent assembly draft a permanent constitution of libya, the creation of the first

provisional government following elections that were fully democratic, as witnessed by international observers. we will work to rebuild, reorganize, and reform state institutions, particulate the police force, -- particularly the police force, they are forces and we will work within various programs to disarm, demobilize, and reintegrate the revolutionaries in the defense and interior ministries, as well as other state institutions. before the first time since independence, we have political parties in the political arena there is freedom of expression in the press.

there is unconditional freedom to demonstrate, the freedom of association, freedom to set up several institutions, unions as well as political and social, intellectual organizations without any limitations. this has led to a free dialogue and participation by all peoples in all parts of the world. mr. president, the time of the previous regime for more than four decades saw fragrant -- flagrant violations of human rights, torture, detention without trial, expeditionary killing, humiliation of citizens, mistreatment. the when the revolution erupted

on 17 february through peaceful demonstrations, the previous regime faced them down with bullets and oppression in a grave violation of international humanitarian law and human rights law. hence the human rights council suspended libya's membership in said council. and set up an international fact-finding commission, and express the condemnation of the international community for such violations. it back commission did certify violations of human rights by the regime forces, and by the hands of some revolutionaries. and therefore, libyan authorities have taken the human rights file to the higher level.

mr. president, some wonder whether the arab spring was worthy of support. it to them, i would say, -- would have been better for the corrupt and dictatorial regimes to remain in place for decades more, oppressing, meting out in justice, arbitrary treatment, corruption and violation of fundamental human rights? should they have been allowed to continue pillaging the wealth of the peoples, leading some ahman those oppressed people -- among those oppressed people to extremism? and following a particular agenda that goes against peace and security, one of the resort

to terrorism and violence. democracy did not come to france following the french revolution a year, or even a decade following the revolution. indeed, this was the case in other parts of the world that gained their freedom. this was followed by instability, and sometimes very long, bloody civil wars. mr. president, at this new stage of building the new libya, we faced threats and challenges that are very serious and threaten national and regional security because of illegitimate? bike -- illegitimate acts by

gaddafi's sons and by those who have found safe harbor in some neighboring countries, and others who are committing criminal acts, threatening the security and stability in syria -- in libya. we also face other security threats, drug-trafficking, the trafficking of psychotropic drugs, illegal immigration, the trafficking of weapons. as you know, the nature and scope of these threats to national security and our

borders requires the bilateral as well as multilateral response to promote and strengthen the national effort. therefore, last march, my country hosted the regional ministerial conference on the security of borders. penetrable the plan of action was adopted in order to consult and share information on the expertise on the security of the borders. it libya's right to restitution of moneys that were pillaged from the treasury and secret it to outside the country, --

secreted to outside the country, used to finance activities that would destabilize libya, this also affects neighboring countries. we would call on all our friends to ensure the special rights to libyan investments as well as to the properties of libyan state in other countries, not to touch them, and particularly in some companies -- countries in latin america, africa, and asia, where those funds have been subject to some course of measurements by some governments. we call on all states of the world to cooperate, to come out corruption -- combat corruption and money laundering.

we call on international institutions, in particular in some countries in some islands, to bear their responsibilities and not accept suspicious funds, particularly from third world dictators who are bleeding the wealth of their people and hide those funds in that suspicious companies. in march of 2010, the world financial integrity -- the global financial integrity issued a report estimating the offshore growth deposit was $10 trillion u.s. who we look forward to the ratification of anti-corruption documentation that would allow many states to combat

corruption. and to restitute stolen funds. we offer support against corruption. it is the first convention of its kind. it is binding, legal -- it is binding legally internationally by chapter 8, article 71. and in this context, i must pay tribute to the great contribution of the mission, including its leader, it despite the many challenges and difficulties. this is natural and to be expected in the transitional phase. we also welcome the appointment of mr. dmitrijeva -- mr. mitri as the new head of the cooperation and mr. president, libya is committed to all of its commitments in all international instruments on this mormon and -- on disarmament and the maintenance of international peace and security. we are prepared to cooperate with the united -- the international community to implement the provisions of the international agreement and protocols in order to create an international environment that will make progress toward ridding the world definitively of weapons of mass destruction. we are also determined to review all other international

instruments to which we are not parties, and to take their corporate decision until a constitution is adopted and parliament elected. -- are appropriate decision until a constitution is adopted and parliament elected. we condemn israel oppose the measures in attempting to judaize the occupied land. it is a violation of humanitarian law. we call on the international community to take its responsibility by taking urgent, strong measures to put an end to israeli aggression, and to assure full protection to palestinians, as well as a

radical solution through a settlement, assuring the withdrawal of israel from all occupied lands, and the return of all palestinian refugees to their homes, the establishment of the independent state in accordance with relevant international resolutions. the suffering of the syrian people is unimaginable. the regime in power is requesting the -- is attacking its citizens violently, shedding their blood. it has caused the regime to lose its legitimacy. in order to put an end to such a tragedy, libya urges the security council to act promptly in accordance with the principle of the responsibility to protect and take immediate action to end all forms of murder, violence, and destruction, and find a way out of this crisis toward a peaceful

transition toward power. in order to ensure the transition to a peaceful power, this has not been achieved so far. however, with the cooperation of the member states in the security council, and with -- by supporting the efforts of the joint envoy of the arab league and the united nations, this may be obtained. libya condemns the social injustice, harassment, and killing against the muslim minority in myanmar. this is a flagrant violation of international human rights. we call all relevant institutions to immediately intervene to put an end to this tragedy. we underline the necessity of forming an international committee to hold those responsible for the killing and violence and bringing to justice. our countries convene annually in this forum. ever since the united nations was established, in order to

reflect on the achievements set out in this charter. we have made many achievements. and many challenges remain, such as the reform of the united nations, ridding the world of weapons of mass destruction, reduction of poverty, ignorance, disease, war and conflict, fighting terrorism and organized crime, the protection of the environment, achieving sustainable development, a respect for human rights, and mainly the rights of women, and ensuring the rule of law, fighting against racism, hatred, and intolerance. mr. president, libya its affiliation to africa, the importance of shifting relations with africa and the world, ones which were based in

the past on personal choices and extortion. we want them to be relations based on a firm basis for the interest of all the people. the new libya disassociates itself from the past and extends its hand in freedom and friendship to initiate new relations built on mutual respect and cooperation. in conclusion, let me wish the session full success in solving the issues on our agenda. i express the hope that the spirit of solidarity and cooperation will prevail. thank you and may god's blessings be upon you. [applause] >> on behalf of the general assembly, i wish to thank the president of the general

national congress of libya for the statement he just made. may i request representation? >> the first thing in our article here is getting medicare costs under control is the number one priority and it is the most untouchable thing. that will cause more trouble than any other problem we have fiscally in the united states. getting medicare costs under control is the number one thing. >> you say we also surcharges' smokers and the obies for their mevacor -- medicare programs.

where did that idea come from? >> it came from us. i put it in the memo but i did not have to fight hard for it. it is something i ran in the washington post. i called people mega fatties rather than morbidly obese. i was rebuked for being insensitive. i guess i probably am. everyone knows it is true. someone has to pay for it. i am not saying you should bankrupt people if they are too heavy. but there should be penalties. i am not really a democrat but i am a democrat compared to him. it have to be responsible to some extent for your personal behavior. someone is going to pay for it. >> quite right. we should point out we are not the only ones making arguments like this. there have been other bipartisan commissions and so forth.

a democrat and republican also said regarding medicare, we need to do something about the obese and smokers. they also had a proposal, one more complicated than ours, for respecting -- restricting. these are difficult, painful decisions. but we will have to face them. >> fixing the economy, sunday "q&a."n c-span is "q&a's >> in a few moments, a pentagon briefing. in 40 minutes a look at the role of political cartoons in the presidential campaign.

our live coverage of political debates continues at 11:00 a.m. eastern. senator heller was appointed after the resignation of another senator. defense secretary leon panetta says he anticipates more insider attacks in afghanistan. measures are being taken to protect u.s. from green on blue attacks. he and the head of the joint chiefs of staff spoke with reporters for about 40 minutes. >> since general dempsey just returned from the war front, we thought it would be worth making some comments on afghanistan. i will invite general dempsey to share his comments as well. last week, we completed the drawdown of 33,000 surge forces that the president ordered to

afghanistan in december 2009. as i said in announcing this milestone last week, it is clear that the surge allowed us to turn a very important corner in 2011. it accomplished the primary objectives of reversing the taliban's momentum on the battlefield and dramatically increased the size and capability of the afghan national security forces. to fully understand the impact of the surge, i think it is a good thing to remind ourselves where things stood in mid-2009. at that time, the momentum was clearly on the side of the

taliban. the insurgency was steadily retaking key parts of afghanistan. any time that the -- that our forces would clear an area and then leave, it was immediately taken back by the taliban. there were no areas that were transitioned, mainly because the afghan national security forces were not capable to provide security on their own or counter the taliban. the result was that afghanistan faced the real prospect that the taliban would take over large parts of the country, which ultimately would have strengthened al qaeda's hand and provided it again with a safe haven from which to plan attacks on our homeland. in short, in mid-2009, i think there was a real risk that the mission in afghanistan might very well fail. thanks to the efforts of u.s. and afghan forces and our partners, i think the situation today is considerably different

and improved. the taliban's gains on the battlefield have been reversed. they have been unable to regain any of the territory they have lost. violence levels in populated areas have decreased significantly. al qaeda has been denied safe haven, and its leadership has been decimated. afghan security forces have become more capable and expanded dramatically, growing from roughly 150,000 in november 2008 to more than 330,000 today, with the goal of going to 352,000 very soon. most notably, we have begun the transition to afghan security and responsibility. we have moved decisively toward afghanistan that can secure and govern itself, and that is the fundamental mission that we have sought to accomplish. with the announcement of the third tranche of transition

earlier this year, more than 75% of the afghan population lives in areas that are undergoing the transition process. under the leadership of general allen, nato agreed in chicago to a plan that he designed that has been put in place, and we remain very much on track with that plan. i think there is strong international support in order to accomplish that effort. having said all of that, i also want to make clear that even as we recognize these many positive trends, that we cannot and will not ignore the significant challenges that remain. the enemy we are dealing with,

as we have said before, is adaptive and resilient. their focus has shifted in order to undermine the new sense of security felt by ordinary afghans. there has also been a very troubling rise, as we all know, in insider attacks. the purpose of those insider attacks has been to target the very trust that we need between isaf and afghan forces. that trust is critical to completing this transition. i expect that there will be more of these high-profile

attacks and that the enemy will do whatever they can to try to break our will using this kind of tactic. that will not happen. in response to these attacks throughout the past year, general allen has taken steps along with afghan leaders, the afghan army, and isaf to protect our forces and the afghan people and to ensure that our strategy remains on track. most recently, during the heightened tension over the inflammatory video on the internet, this included making temporary adjustments on partnered operations between isaf and afghan forces, taking place below the battalion level.

i can now report to you that most isaf operations have returned to normal operations. i emphasize we remain fully committed to our strategy of transition to afghan security control. the ansf remains, as general allen has called it, the defeat mechanism of the insurgency. as the president has made clear, we have an enduring commitment to and afghanistan that can secure and govern itself and that is never again a safe haven from which terrorists can attack us. our men and women in uniform, our fighting forces, isaf, and afghanistan fighting forces, i think, have sent a strong message to the taliban that time is not on their side. as i said before -- this is a

war, and it is a war that will continue to demand perseverance on the part of the american people, on the part of the afghan people, and on the part of the international community. as we look at the challenges that remain for us to overcome in the coming months, i think we can take heart in how much our forces have accomplished over these past three years. i can tell you, based on my firsthand observations from going to the war front -- and i think general dempsey can say the same -- that our troops are justly proud of what they have accomplished, and we certainly

are proud of them. because of their continued sacrifices and with the continued dedication and commitment of the american people, i believe that we can prevail in this war. general dempsey. >> thanks, mr. secretary. i actually returned from afghanistan just yesterday. while there, i visited our troops in kandahar and helmand province. i walked the ground where the enemy last week broke through our perimeter, where two marines fell while racing to the sound of guns, and where i was

reminded once again that our servicemen and women are courageous to the court. i met with coalition and afghan leaders, and i will tell you this -- afghan forces are not only gaining capability, but they are also importantly gaining confidence. they are fighters. with our continued assistance, we see them getting stronger, while the taliban gets weaker. i will also tell you that our afghan partners are working with us to shut down the threat of insider attack. as one afghan army commander told me, insider attacks are an affront to their honor, at odds with their culture and their faith. as for us, we are adapting to changes in that threat as well. that is what professional militaries do, and we are doing it in a way that ensures we continue to be able to partner. the taliban is trying to split us apart, but it will not work.

they are working to weaken the coalition, and that will not work, either. i met with my fellow nato chiefs of defense week before last. general allen's update to the group was met with one thing -- resolve. in together, out together is more than just a motto. it is an oath. >> since you just got back, you may be best able to answer this question. secretary said most units are backed through partnering. prior to this, 90% of all missions were partnered. what percentage of the missions are partnered now? how much did it drop off? you said that about a week and a half ago, something had to change. what specifically, if anything, has changed? what other changes do you need to see? will this approval process have to continue indefinitely, even as more partnering ramps up? >> first of all, john allen's order did not at that level restrict anything. it told subordinate commanders to assess their own situation in their own part of afghanistan, and they did that. i would suggest that what they did as part of that was buy

themselves some time in order to determine whether we had to make any internal changes. that could be something as simple as reinforcing standards and discipline to adding potentially to the guardian angel program, and whenever it happens to be. that was all done, it seems to me, at the right level. it was not done at this level. it was done down where the boot meets the ground. the other thing that had to change was we needed buy-in from our afghan partners to make sure they were taking this as seriously as we did. i can tell you without hesitation they are taking this as seriously as we are and taking active measures to help us -- and them -- defeat this threat. i came back with a renewed

sense that we can lower the risk of the insider threat. >> the percentages? the numbers? >> i do not have them committed to memory. if as you say a week ago we were reporting 90%, i am quite confident we are back to that level. >> while we have both of you here, i wonder if you could square for us your different reactions to insider attacks. you called it a last-gasp effort of the taliban, and you called it a very serious threat to the campaign. which is it? >> a serious last-gasp effort. [laughter] >> i do not think we were speaking past each other. there is a number of ways to describe this threat. it is a very serious threat. i mentioned in my opening

remarks that they are trying to split the coalition by having it lose confidence in itself. >> and this is the last gasp. >> as i said, the effort here has made it clear that time is not on their side, that we have been able to achieve a great deal of the missions that we are after. we did have a very important corner. violence is down. the afghan army is obviously much better at providing security. so, you know, we are moving in

the right direction, moving on the right track. the taliban has had less and less ability to be able to fight back and be able to get back the territories that have been lost, so i think this is part of -- similar to ied's, it is their effort to try to create the kind of high-profile that tax that while they do not gain them anything, basically try to break our will -- the kind of high-profile attacks that do not gain them anything but basically try to break our will. >> ied's were not a last gasp. they were just a new tactic. >> this is a new tactic. it indicates that they are unable to get back the territories that they have lost. that is what it reflects. whether or not, you know, it is the end of their bag of tactics to come at us, i think is still an open question. >> [inaudible] your sense of benghazi now, and a couple of things i want to discuss. was there discussion of putting marines at the compound to help

secure it? what is your assessment and analysis of al qaeda and affiliate's or inspired organizations, their ability to assemble and generate an attack capability of this sort very rapidly? and for the united states to openly have no sense that it needed to provide the security to meet that potential threat. what does it say to you about al qaeda abilities in that region? >> first of all, with regards to benghazi, we responded to a request to provide a fast team to go into tripoli and provide additional security there, and

we responded to that. at that point, for all intents and purposes, benghazi had been pretty much unoccupied by any of the diplomatic and other security personnel that were there. the main focus then was on tripoli and the embassy in tripoli, and that is what we responded to. with regards to al qaeda and its efforts in that area, i think it is fair to say that al qaeda, you know, continues, as i indicated, to try to pursue its efforts in that part of the world. we have been going after them in yemen. we have been going after them in somalia. we have been going after them in north africa. they continue to be a threat in

those areas. again, they continue to operate in different ways as well in other parts of africa. as to specifically whether they were or were not involved regarding the attack in benghazi, i think that remains for the investigation to determine. >> but the fact that administration officials are now calling this a terrorist attack. >> it was a terrorist attack. >> why do you say that? why do you come to that conclusion? if it was a successful terrorist attack against a u.s. installation, against the united states, what does it say to you about the surprise that al qaeda or one of these groups were able to enact against the united states?

>> primarily the reason i think it was a terrorist attack was because a group of terrorists conducted that attack on a consulate and against our individuals. what terrorists were involved i think still remains to be determined by the investigation, but it clearly was a group of terrorists who conducted that attack against that facility. we, as a country, have ourselves been the target of a terrorist attack, and i think that we have made clear that as a result of that, we are going to continue to go after those that would attack our individuals, and i think that remains the case here as well. we are not going to let people who deliberately attack and kill our people get away with it. >> [inaudible] mr. secretary, when did you come to the conclusion that what had happened in benghazi was a terrorist attack? mr. chairman, did the joint

staff provide any warning to the state department that there were increasing security concerns in benghazi? the fbi says it is too dangerous to be in benghazi, which is why none of them are there now. is that because the>> as we dets of what took place there and how that attack took place, it became clear that there were terrorists who had planned that attack. that is when i came to that conclusion. as to who was involved, what specific groups were involved, i think the investigation that is ongoing hopefully will determine that. >> about a day after? >> it took a while to get some feedback as to what exactly happened at that location. >> there was a thread of intelligence reporting that groups were seeking to

coalesce, but there was not anything specific, and certainly not anything specific to the consulate that i am aware of. as far as the risks of the fbi reported, you really would have to ask them why they made that determination. >> did you make the state department aware of the intelligence? >> the intelligence that we all get is broadly shared among intelligence agencies and all integency partners. >> i wanted to go back to afghanistan briefly. is it your personal belief that the taliban is responsible for many or most of the insider attacks at this point? general dempsey, did you order or advise general allen to resume the partnering effort?

related to that, given what we have seen from the reports about people in body armor and the temporary stand-down on partnering, is the taliban succeeding in driving a wedge between the ansf and isaf? >> as for what percentage of the insider threat is related to infiltration or radicalization, it is really difficult to determine. generally speaking, we lose access to these individuals either because they are killed or they escape. i am sure a certain percentage of it is. we go to the site to try to make the determination, and based on what we learn, we adapt. i did not go there to order general allen to do anything.

i went there to get a sense as to whether our campaign objectives were still valid, whether our campaign plan was still on track, and i came back -- again, i have said this publicly. we are committed, resolved, to those objectives as outlined in lisbon and reinforced in chicago, but i think anybody that thinks it will be a straight line from here to there is probably not thinking about it the right way. i have great confidence and trust, as the secretary does, in general allen and those on the ground to make the adjustments necessary to achieve those objectives. >> august 30 in london, you said you did not want to be complacent in a unilateral

israeli attack on iran. complice that not only implies an accomplice or partner -- complicit implies an accomplice or partner. >> i think we have all question -- many of us have questioned whether the timing is right. i think the path we are on to convince iran to forgo its desire for a nuclear weapon -- you have heard us say we are not even sure they have made that decision. the context is important because i was asked a question about why i was not doing more to protect our forces in the gulf in the event that israel made a decision, and my answer really was intended to portray that i do not feel like i have any

place in trying to affect the sovereign decisions of any nation, including our closest partners. there was a context gap there. >> last week, the deputy program manager of the joint strike fighters, the largest program in pentagon history, said the relationship with lockheed, the number one contractor, was the worst he had ever seen. $75 billion has been spent in this program to date. did you agree with that assessment? how could that happen, that relations are so bad with the number one contractor on the number one program in the pentagon's inventory? >> i do not know that i would portray it in those terms. these are difficult negotiations, as they always are, when you are dealing with, you know, the amount of money and complexity that is involved with the joint strike fighter. so there are tough negotiations going on, but i am confident that both parties, as we know from just the nature of these

kinds of negotiations, that both parties will ultimately reach a solution. i am not convinced that this has reached a point where we have dead-ended in terms of our ability to find a way out. i think both of us understand that the joint strike fighter is important -- to our security and to the companies that are involved here -- and i think ultimately, it will be resolved. >> you do not agree with the notion as expressed by the deputy program manager that relations with the company, the program office, and stakeholders is the worst he has ever seen? you do not share that? >> i do not share that because i do not know the history of what has gone on in the past, but at least from what i know at this point, my view is these are

very tough negotiations, but they are not a reflect -- a reflection that either side has given in or things that the other side is in a more difficult state at all. we will get through this. >> two quick clarifications -- you said earlier once partnered operations resume, but i thought the chairman said they had all resumed. >> as i travel to visit leaders at every level, they all have made adjustments, and as they have made the adjustments, they have restored, i guess, the level of engagement. the reason it is hard to pin down at any given time is the campaign is always adapting. as you know, we have a system where we were partnering. then we moved to security force assistance teams, but they were

built on the back of security structures. now, as i sit here, we are throwing forces into a theater that are built purposefully for security force assistance -- into a theater -- into theater that are built purposefully for security force assistance. as i left afghanistan, the leaders i spoke to had resumed operations as they had been previously organized, so it was my assessment that the command had restored to its previous norm, but it is changing all the time. as units no longer need security

forces, they are moved elsewhere. it is a matter of gauging progress, capability, and investments. >> they are back to normal? >> as far as i know, sitting here in washington. >> on the question of were they involved with al qaeda or not -- i think that is a matter for investigation to determine. as we all know, there's a lot of different forms of terrorism in that part of the world. there's a lot of terrorism that is home-grown, and i think it is really important, before we come to any firm conclusions, to give the investigators the opportunity to determine exactly who was involved in the attack that took place.

>> this week, the international community -- for military intervention in syria. i would like to know if you agree. mr. chairman, could you tell us what your meeting with staff was about? do you feel the saudis are concerned about the implications of the syrian conflict? >> you know, i think it is pretty clear that at this point, the most effective thing that the international community can do is to continue to bring both diplomatic and economic pressure on assad to step down. we are addressing obviously a

number of the concerns there. we are doing what we can with regards to the humanitarian crisis and trying to provide for and meet the humanitarian needs that are increasing. we continue to monitor the cbw sites, which concern us, and others in the region to make sure they continue to be secure, and we are providing assistance to the opposition, trying to make sure that they are getting the kind of assistance that can help them in their cause. i think those are the most effective ways to deal with that. direct intervention by the united states -- i think both general dempsey and i have said would be a serious mistake for

the united states to embark on that kind of intervention on our own. if the international community decides that is a step the international community would like to move forward, then, obviously, we would be part of that, but absent that kind of broad support, i think for the united states to do it would be a mistake. >> i did visit my counterparts from saudi arabia. we did walk around the region, and their concern with syria was really based on what they assess as iranian influence, which they assess also to be a factor to their south in yemen. the majority of our time was spent speaking about how we could continue to partner with them and help build their capability, in particular in air defense and in the maritime domain. >> you said you went to afghanistan to see if campaign objectives were still valid. it implies a level of doubt

about the campaign objectives that you kept the details of the trip under wraps until you came back. >> i was afraid you all would ask to come with me. [laughter] the trick was i had originally planned to go to pakistan -- the truth was i had originally planned to go to pakistan, but because of some of the details of that film, he and i discuss postponing it, mostly so i could give him time to deal with the issues he was dealing with internally. i decided to extend my trip to afghanistan. i truly have no doubts about our campaign objectives and our ability to achieve them, particularly those i am responsible for, which are the military objectives. >> [inaudible] >> remember, i was supposed to

go to pakistan first, and i wanted that to be a very private trip. i only changed it at the end. >> [inaudible] as he builds the budget for next year, you are going back to the strategy released in january, making adjustments as needed, and i was curious if you could outline some of those changes you are looking at for next year. >> the key for us has been the strategy that we put in place. we went through a process of developing a new defense strategy, not only for the present but for the future. it has some key elements we think are important, and we

wanted to adhere to those. in fashioning the budget that we have to do now, obviously, based on some of the changes that were made on some of the proposals we have made -- obviously, that is still not a completed process, so we do not know ultimately what will happen. we have kind of at least looked at that and asked if there are modifications we have to make, but there are no modifications to the basic strategy that we have developed. every one of those elements still remains a cornerstone for our foundation for our strategy for the future, and the investments we make in budget reflect that. if there are changes, there will be changes in the margin. >> [inaudible] mr. chairman, on your visit to afghanistan, and mr. secretary, on china. you said that you wanted to visit pakistan.

my question is -- on your visit to afghanistan, did pakistani officials say that without pakistan's cooperation or hell, there cannot be longstanding peace in afghanistan? do you believe that terrorists across the border are now under control of the pakistani government, or are you sure now that you can do without pakistan's cooperation? >> i have always believed the outcome in afghanistan would clearly have to include some resolution of the groups that operate out of western pakistan. my purpose in going to visit was to get insights in that regard. >> mr. secretary, my question for you is -- you just came back from china. there is tension in the south china sea and the indian ocean. you went to india.

my question is that the u.s. and india i now working on one of the biggest arms deals between u.s. and india -- the u.s. and india are now working on one of the biggest arms deals between u.s. and india. what are you telling the chinese about this deal? >> we did not discuss that specific assistance that we are working on with india, but in general, i think in the discussions i had with the chinese, it was that the purpose of our effort to rebalance to the pacific is aimed at the prosperity and security of the pacific region.

the key to that strategy is a strong, bilateral relationship between the u.s. and china because we share concerns in the pacific. we share concerns with regard to terrorism, with regard to issues like nuclear proliferation, with regards to humanitarian assistance, maritime rights, etc., and it is important for us to work to develop the capabilities of countries in that region so that they can help secure themselves. if i ever was asked about the situation in india, my answer would be the same as what we do with regards to other countries in the region -- we try to help develop their capabilities so they can help provide security for that region. >> mr. secretary, quickly -- >> don't filibuster.

>> mr. secretary, congress has left town without making deals to avoid sequestration. last week, it was said that some sort of short-term deal might be beneficial. do you agree with that? >> i will take whatever the hell deal they can make. the problem now is they have left town, and all of this has now been put off into the lame- duck session. so it is extremely important that when they returned after the election that they take steps to deal, you know, not just with this issue but with the larger fiscal cliffs that

this country is facing. we cannot maintain a strong defense for this country if sequester is allowed to happen, number one, but very frankly, just the shadow of a sequester being out there continuing is something that basically creates a problem for us as we try to plan for the future. what exactly are we going to be facing? how are we going to deal with it? we need stability. you want strong national defense for this country? i need to have stability. that is what i am asking congress to do -- get me stability with regards to the funding for the defense department for the future. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> september 11, 2001 was a day that changed my life forever. i will go through a power point

presentation that will align the account of the historical account of the attacke. a lot of things happened quickly. i will do my best not to ramble on and go too fast. i will ask you to sit back, clear your mind, put yourself in that room and you will get a sense of what it is like to be at the top of the food chain of a nation of 300 million americans were attacked by 19 al qaeda terrorists. >> this weekend on american history tv, sunday at 7:30 p.m. eastern and pacific on c-span 3. >> see the first of the presidential debates next wednesday. watch and engage. a danger a few moments, they

look at the role of political cartoons in the campaign. -- in a few moments, a look at the role of presidential rigid political cartoons in the campaign. coverage of the united nations general assembly including speeches by prime minister netanyahu. on tomorrow's "washington journal," maria bartiromo talks about the role of the economy. we will speak with dr. marty makary about medical errors in hospital. also a discussion with william wiatrowski and john mendeloff

about workplace safety and occupational hazards. >> now, a look at the presidential election through political cartoons. a couple of weeks ago thenewseum postedartoonist panelists. we will show you as much we can until the senate debate at 11:00 eastern. >> good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. welcome to another edition of inside media. if you have been walking through the city, you may have noticed the preponderant of men and women caring along the large pads. cartoonists are in town.

today is day three of the american editorial cartoonists convention meeting across town at george washington university. we were lucky enough to snag three of the cartoonist who will share with us some of their work. it will give us their take on the hectic and sometimes hysterical campaign season. seated to my left is lalo alaraz. his cartoon is seen in scores of newspapers like the los angeles times. he has produced cartoons for the l.a. weekly since 1992. he creates cartoons in english and spanish for some tickets. he cohoes a satirical talk show, and he is at a torrid and -- editor in chief of a web site. next to him is steve kelley. his editorial cartoons are

distributed to newspapers nationwide by some tickets. he is also the, creator of the national syndicated comic strip. he was a veteran stand up comedian and has appeared several times on the tonight show. scott stantis works for the chicago tribune. his work is syndicated to over 180 newspapers. he is also the creator of the cartoon prickly city that appears here in our hometown washington post. please welcome the panelists today. [applause]

>> i have been a free lancer for ever. i have never been a staff cartoonist even when i was with l.a. weekly. i was there 17 years as a freelancer sending my cartoons and. it taught me how to manage my own career as far as being self sustaining, on the broke cartoonist trying to raise a family. -- nonbroke cartoonist trying to raise a family. i have a lot to show you. of course, we just went through the conventions. forever an idea comes -- people

ask where they come from. sometimes it is a bolt from the blue. sometimes chris rock writes them. this cartoon is something that chris rock said on twitter. i credit him on the right. he said, they should have an empty chair that says osama bin laden on it. this is last week pose a cartoon. mitt romney -- the u.s. should immediately bomb england. foreign policy with mitt romney. this is a cartoon that i had in my comic strip. we each have these -- i do not know. i am not sure if best and -- i

promised i would not miss up your comic strip. we each do a comic strip so we are lucky as far as editorial cartoons. good to use the other side of our brands to read comics. i have been accused of making my way to political. this is my 9/11 tribute. it actually was originally a long strip. you have to turn your head to see it. i made it into an editorial cartoon. here is mitt romney having a candlelight vigil for osama bin laden. this is a cartoon i did the year after 9/11 about maybe some of

the causes behind 9/11. this is also the year after 911. i call it the twin tepees. it marks the genocide that has happened. it was a reaction to some of the more excess of chest beating about 9/11. we never remember the other tragedies that have been on american soil. i do not really have anything to say about this. [laughter] i think the ladies and know what i am talking about. -- the ladies know what i am talking about.

we are the party of self- reliance. here is bill clinton at the democratic convention. it was either arithmetic or facts. i was not sure what to put. it is kind of pathetic. the democrats were all waiting for somebody to come up and spell out these things clearly. it took bill clinton to come out and say something that democrats felt excited and rally about. there might be a communication problem in the white house. here is crisscrossed the speaking at the rnc. -- chris christie speaking at the rnc. mitt romney is another saying

"do not forget to mention my name." here is a guy at the convention. i think the ladies know what i am talking about here. paul ryan appears -- appeals to seniors. a scary eddie munster guy. here is mitt romney's money. chilling i know a guy that does a fake twiter account called "mexican

mitt romney." he is a big smash on the twitter. politico named it one of the top-10 funniest fake twitter accounts. it plays off on the fact that mitt romney's dad was born in mexico in a mormon colony and was actually -- mitt romney might be the first chicano president. mexican mitt romney seems like a crazy mexi-mormon ranchero character. he says a lot of crazy stuff about the election. follow him @mexicanmitt. this is the curiosity rover being asked for its papers.

here is the colombian secret service prosecution scandal. -- prostitution scandal. columbia, we are not just known for drugs anymore. [laughter] i promise you, the president has a big stick. here is obama giving the presidential medal of freedom to a personal friend of mine. a lot of people do not know the united farm workers invented the "yes, we can" slogan. obama took that and ran with it. at least he paid back with a metal. -- medal. the color is wrong on this. it is occupy los angeles.

the monopoly guy being torn down like saddam hussein. also, the colors are wrong here. i did well with arizona. geronimo. arizona and again. this is called liberties on the run. this was used by the indigo girls on their tour as a poster through arizona and alabama. i put this on my facebook page and people were like "i love this image. why do you have a three pregnant pop rockers running the?" -- running?"

how are we doing on time? i did this in february 2008. soon after the new yorker did a much nicer version of it. i have fans that complained about when they perceive people have ripped me off. i made nice with "the new yorker." this was my big campaign poster in 2008. i had heard on fox news, which i hear is a reputable source of journalism, that latinos were so racist they were not going to vote for a black candidate. i did my ideal latino campaign poster which was "viva obama." the los angeles campaign that loved it. the california campaign was not so sure, and the national campaign would not even touch it.

i was like, come on. a black guy with a gun. what is not to love about that. the nra cannot say crap about that. i was really depressed about politics. i did not do that, but i wish i had. i grew up on mad magazine. then i did george bush. i had a t-shirt on one time. i was in a t-shirt store in east l.a. a guy came up and said "that is a dope ass planet of the apes shirt. i was like, you are so close. thank you. [applause]

>> your spanish is so good. [laughter] this is just a look at the election as it shapes up. i drew this cartoon about one year ago. obama is trying to ignite the economy, and the republicans are trying to -- well. [laughter] this is an illustration. it is several panels -- about what the problem really is. we complained about democrats and republicans running for the presidency. it is really the guys in congress that are the problem. this is "kicking the debt can down the road." i have to give a -- i have to

get up because i cannot read it from here. this is when it was still in the primary season. [laughter] sarah palin. i have that fire in my belly. i know the feeling. the best thing you can do with a politician is to use his own words against him. this was soon after the president's state of the union address. we have come too far to turn back now.

this is donald trump and the mitt romney over there. "you guys hold him down, and i will cut his hair off." obama is pointing at mitt romney. america, i smell something fishy. there we go. this is the president painting the economy over there which has wilted. we have it flip-flops here. government health care and same- sex marriage. mitt romney says, well, you get used to it. -- used to them.

these are the obamacare sparklers. there it is. the tea party, that is mitt romney and paul ryan. "you are not really my type, but your wing man makes you irresistible." do you support chick-fil-a's ceo on traditional marriage or do you favor a nationwide boycott? i miss the separation of church and fast food. this is not talking to the machine very well.

do we support the failed policies that got us into the miss or the failed policies that have not gotten us out of it? i do a lot of cartoons where i do not really concentrate -- i am a big believer in the just opposing stupidity. people say are you a liberal or conservative, i say neither. i am anti stupid. that leaves you with no representation in washington. [applause] this is why it is best the president is not going to the london olympics. "you did not win that." the u.s. open. it is either about the golf tournament or the president's immigration policy. that was like a boo/hiss on that

one. this is when they were trading barbs back and forth. "i think both sides should stop the critical name-calling and get back to the fictitious platitudes voters care about." meanwhile on the pole vault. it says jobs on their. this is when the george bush can set out in favor of mitt romney and endorsed mitt romney. now if things do not go well in november, i can blame bush. why are we spending $2.5 billion to dig up dirt on bars when we could be spending it to dig up dirt on an mitt romney? with the race tightening, some democrats say you should look for another running mate. i could never do that to barack.

finally, this is the men's room at a restaurant with the economy having trouble with a meal. obama says "how about seconds?" [applause] it is working now. >> hello. this is one of the things i will have to walk over here because i am old and cannot see as well. this is the statue of liberty. it says -- this is how you get your wife not to talk to you 40 dead days. this was a justice in front of the pearly gates. they are asking him "what trimester were you in?" it gets the reaction a lot.

my wife and i have been married for 31 years. in 1998 we were expecting our second child. she literally was in labor. i am not talking about early contractions. i am talking about ready to burst labor. it was on election day 1998. we stopped by the voting place so she could cancel out my vote. [applause] that tells you how we can be friends because we disagree on stuff. i into the right. i worked on reagan pose a campaign in 1984. i think we still share the same of values. we want the streets to be safe. how we get there is a different route. this was our entrance to the iraq war. ther eis france. if you daw a worse poodle, that is cartoon excellence.

i do believe in the culture of life. i am against the death penalty, abortion, euthanasia. this one says "executed another one, sir. "i say it over and over again, what part of a "thou shall not kill do they not get?" it is days like this i really regret to the "no new floods" pledge. also, privacy. civil liberties is a big issue for me. i really diverge from where the republican party went under george debbie bus. here is the current secretary of common security saying "do not mind me." this is george w. bush saying

"can i hear you now?" this was after katrina. we had five refugees in our house. this guy is up in front. here is the chicago skyline. we're from fema. a guy here as fast as we could. we understand a cow started a fire? -- we got here as fast as we could. this is what i am talking about. sometimes the cartoons are serious. humor is a great vehicle to express your opinion. there are days to take your foot off the throw. we were debating security versus civil liberties. this is on call sam with the constitution saying "so, where do i draw the line?" sometimes you talk like you did not write yourself because it turned out well.

i always have liked it as a drawing. the current president likes to smoke. he claims he quit. it is called "on filtered spending." it says "i cannot seem to quit." republans have people who say "it is my turn." i was lucky enough to cover both conventions. the average age of the delegates was almost dead at the republican convention. that is not a good sign for a party moving forward. this is fidel castro saying "we are throwing out our old economic model." the president says "can we have a?" our debt past 100.3% of gdp. you have obama saying "opa!" i love this drying because it

turned out perfectly. this is the tea party. this little girl looks like sarah palin. she is saying "during get!" -- "drink it!" michele bock men had just won the iowa straw vote-vote- michele bachmann had just won iowa sraw vote. it says "what did i do last week and?" "led the honeymoon commence." it is fun to have this levy elephant. this is one thing that drives me nuts. bloomberg and the city council voted that he was right and they

outlawed big drinks. you have bloomberg floating down as mary compensating "drop it, chubs!" this is when donald trump endorsed mitt romney. he is saying "you had me at i don't care about poor pepole." "we must consider deep cuts to the $70 billion green defense budget." "and it was working so well." "strike the solar panels." this primary season was one of the most interesting because they did not want mitt romney. did they want to rick santorum? really? "something like this could make

a lesser fella question his inevitability." this was the front-runner, mitt. steve is sort of right of center, would that be fair? he gave a great endorsement. a lot of people in the republican party really question the sky. he is in michigan. do you remember this? "it is good to be back in michigan where all the trees are the same size." the right height, i'm sorry. what? maybe steve can explain that later.

going back to obama. he is saying the "you did not bill that." another one saying, "my case for reelection is clear." did you have that, the economy, free guns for bad guys. " solo twister? "and he's losing." super pacs make me crazy. each party -- each candidate could spend over $1 billion. 8 $2 billion campaign. i wish somebody would come up with a model that would pass constitutional muster. citizens united, is corporation a person?

we have to find a middle ground. this is an example of a bad card team. it is the truth, fast and furious case where they gave guns too bad guys. they were used to kill an american officer. executive privilege denied any further investigations of the case. it is the non smoking gun. this says "we are spending more than we are taking an." "and?" the reaction to what is happening in syria. the president says "president putin, a word? "not a good time, i'll call you." wall street is having a comeback. there is the president writing the baby bull. "forward to november so i can

tax you into stakeak." this is the only mohrmann reference i have ever done in a campaign. he has been running for three cycles. -- mormon reference i have never done any campaign. of course, going down to florida hurricane isaac was going to slam into tampa. have the gop a low-fat looking off shore and akin saying "i'm told it's not a legitimate storm." nce."the humanizing comment uncle sam sayis holding him sayg

"convince me." at the democratic convention is says "are you better off now than you were four years ago?" unemployment says "you bet." the national debt went past $16 trillion. the president was a campaign slogan is "forward." afterwards this is an essay you can find at the chicago tribune. i like the headline that says "are you better off today than you were two weeks ago?" a woman reading says "the newspaper says they may stop delivering letters on saturday." "what's a letter?" newspaper?" thank you [applause]

>> we do want to open it up to hear your questions. we have the two staffers with microphones. i will get the ball rolling. who do you want to be drawing for the next four years? politics aside. romney/ryan or four more years of obama/biden? >> romney is much funnier. and a robotic sense, he is great. >> i would said my job aside and prefer to have the country recover. i am hoping for a regime change. it is obviously -- cartoonists are in a position of where what is best for them is not necessarily best for the country. i think is all too important this time. that is why i want mitt romney.

>> i agree with steve. from a philosophical point of view as an american, i would like mitt romney to win. as a conservative cartoonist, it is always easier to go after the guy you disagree with. >> in the you have any past people who are your favorites to drop? >> anytime somebody has a reputation for salacious behavior, it makes them rich targets for us. the bill clinton years were -- i got out of the office very early every day. that was back when i had a sick handicapped by the way. >> george w. bush was fun for me. he is great to drop. as the term progressed, i disagree with them on many more things. if you are a conservative and you have a conservative in

office, you are more mad when they screw up or they disappoint you. we kind of expect democrats to be goofy. that is what we expect. when our guys do it, we are much harsher. my cartoons about mitt romney are pretty harsh. >> i like a drawing bush. i got sick of drying bush. every other day was a new tragedy -- i got sick of drawing the bush. it was a tragedy coming from his mouth or the country. i was brought back to starting as a college cartoonist. i sank my teeth on that ronald reagan. that was like having george did the bush in office, because ronald reagan would say crazy

stuff. i kind of miss ronald reagan for different reasons than you guys miss him. [laughter] >> we have a question in the front row. >> i am curious. you said you are sometimes considered too political. what does that mean? >> i was speaking in terms of a daily comic strip. we have the issue where if you have a political comic strip, either people will segregate it in another section or the opinion page. i got a great spot right under doonesbury. i am the second strip. just being a latino and being a minority cartoonist, there are

not that many of us. almost anything i would say could be considered too political. people just want me to shut up. >> i do a political comic strip, too. you may consider yourself a minority, but i am a french with iranian cartoonist. -- lithuanian cartoonist. >> it is amazing a french person would challenge him. but i want to talk about your comic strips also. lotit came as a reaction to l to croce. i was living in the southwest of the united states.

i created two characters. one is a liberal and one is a conservative. they have a continuing dialogue. what -- now there is a another character that took over the strip. kevin is now running for president. that is where that came from. >> i started a comic strip. i got a partner on it because i did not want to have to dry it. i got the best artist in the business. it is about a young man who graduates from college and moves back in with his parents. a crowded next scenario. he works temporary jobs until he either screws up, gets fired, or the jokes run out. >> we are leaving the last few minutes of this program for a live coverage of the nv said

senate debate. dean heller is being challeneged by shelley berkley. the race is being rated as a toss up. a poll shows heller leading berkley among likely voters. host: caller: [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012]

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he decided he would move his >> we drove across country. we were headed for california. we never left. my dad was a waiter. put waiter's salary, he food on our table, close on our back, and two daughters through college. i worked my way through college as a waitress, a cocktail

waitress. i think it is my job to make sure people who come after me have the same opportunities my family had learned became to nevada. thank you. >> thank you. thank you to my opponent for being here tonight. thank you so much. i grew up here in nevada with five brothers and five sister. my father was a mechanic and a mother was a school coke. my father created his own business. took him years. hard work. the government did not help. there were certain important principles he lived by. if you work hard every day you get an opportunity to secede. not a guarantee, but an opportunity. he also believed if the play by the rules, you would be rewarded. if you did not, there would be consequences.

it is amazing how much this country has changed in the last four years. the results of this change. it is amazing what the impact that has had on our government, economic, and jobs. >> thank you. our first session will be directed to the congresswoman. >> you have a consistent record of voting along party lines. we have seen more than our fair share of negative commercials during this campaign. many americans have grown tired of the growing popularity in between political parties and ideologies. are you willing to compromise party ideals for the benefit of the state and of the nation? please give an example of a time you worked with members of the opposing party for the betterment of nevada. >> thank you for that question.

it is true that our government has become more polarized over the last few years. but i think it is important to stand for your principles. the most important thing you can do right now is get people back to worth. the most important thing our jobs, jobs, jobs. that is why i support small businesses, make sure they can rehire people and hire new people that is why i think it is so important to make nevada the energy capital of the united states. when it comes to issues, our delegation has worked very well together. let me give you an example. it does not matter what party you are in, what side of the aisle, the fact of the matter is the nevada delegation works fast when it comes to protecting

people. i think that is one good example. when it comes to other things, i work very closely with people every day when it comes to our support for israel. i would make sure we ensure that the iranians do not require nuclear weapons. i think i would work with anybody to make sure we got our economy back on track, our budget under control, and we and spending. -- end spending. >> thank you for the question. people want to talk about jobs and the economy number 1. the number 2 question is how will you get it back together and solve problems here in the country. to get people together and willing to work together, that is how we will solve problems. i push back against my own

party. prescription drug programs, stem cell research, i am willing to break from my own party if it is important. i have legislation -- securing the border. tax when it comes to the telephones. i have a long history of working with because i believe if we are going to solve the problems facing the nation, republicans and democrats will have to come together and solve them. >> you have one minute. >> i think it is very important we do work together. we do on many issues. one of the things i recall warfare across party lines is for the elimination of the state

tax. i worked with mr. brady and we work together to eliminate that tax. that was a cross party lines and breaking with my own party to make sure we do what i think is right for the american people. one of the issues that is very important and we talk about a lot is jobs. and making sure we provide an environment where we can create good-paying jobs and keep them right here in the state of nevada. small businesses, making sure we pass what my opponent voted against. making sure we make nevada the clean energy jobs capital of the united states, which my opponent voted against investments for energy. -- renewable energy. >> senator heller, nevada is

the leader of national unemployment. you questioned the wisdom of extending unemployment benefits. you asked "is the government producing hobos?" are you calling nevada the unemployed hobos? >> it is difficult to prove you did not do or say something. i did not say that. what i do want to talk about is what i did do. i believe there ought to be a federal safety net. i believe that is critically important as a part of the responsibility this government has. i have had an opportunity to look for the prescription that was asked. it is one of the things i thought was critically important. i think there are certain

responsibilities. one of those is a safety net to make sure people who have had tough times, and believe me, i have lived in a family that has, it is not easy. it is not easy. you need to understand the safety net needs to be there to get people back on their feet and moving floor. >> thank you for the question. the fact of the matter is my opponent actually did call on employee people hoboes. that is very much in line and in touch with what government romney said -- governor romney said about the 47%. my opponent does not seem to be care -- to care much about them either. he voted five times to ship our jobs overseas. nine times to continue its attack subsidies. he voted twice to and medicare by turning it over to private insurance companies. that is not providing a safety

net. that is creating a problem for the people in the state of nevada. they need to know who is fighting for them and who is fighting for the big guys. whenever my opponent says, he talks a good game rather than spending with middle income people from nevada who lost their jobs through the -- through no fault of the rhone, he has been taking care of business at home. you want to create jobs? invest in nevada's fledging energy companies. he voted against investing in nevada's companies that will create good paying jobs right here in nevada. >> thank you. >> she has so many talking

points. she has not helped the middle class. nobody has done more to hurt the middle class than my opponent. every time they come for a handout, she bell's them out. she bailed on everybody time and time again. what will you do for the middle class? one other thing. she has raised more money. i have raised more money in this campaign than new york city. she raised more money on wall street than i have in this campaign. who is an apostate of the money on wall street? >> the next question will be directed to congresswoman. >> i wasn't reached -- i was

intrigued looking through both of you. has enough been done to defend our only true allies in the middle east? >> thank you for that question. i pride myself on being the strongest supporter in the united states congress. we share a common bond. it is the only democracy in a dangerous part of the world and one of our strongest allies is not our strongest ally in the world. i think we need to do everything we can to work with israel to ensure iran does not in recent acquire nuclear weapons. it is a threat to the entire world. it would unleash a massive arms race in the middle east that would be very destabilizing and very dangerous in an already unstable part of the world.

the relationship between the united states and israel has been solid for the last 65 years. it is important to have members in congress that knows -- now the deficit and the gaza strip and the loss vegas strip. we have problems with egypt and problems in syria. jordan is becoming destabilized. the fact of the matter is we have to be very careful to ensure that our allies be the most reliable ally we have and the only democracy in a very dangerous part of a world has to keep their people say. >> thank you for the question. the biggest threat to israel today is iran with nuclear weapons. the second biggest that to israel today is whether not the

united states will stand behind them when they are threatened. there are very few differences between my plan me on foreign policy. she wants to have a debate, she ought to have that debate with the president. what happened in egypt and libya -- i am concerned because israel needs our help. it will need our support and i stand behind them. >> ok. >> this is an issue that is very important to me. i have spent a critical time in middle east peace. when i disagreed with the president, i was the first one on either side of the aisle to express my differences in no uncertain terms. let me turn this around and talk to you about things you do not hear. this administration, with my help, plucked up the israeli

budget by $200 million this year. we helped to create and put up israel's defense system. when israel was faced with the palestinians going to the united nations and asking for a unilateral declaration, there was one country that stood with israel and stopped that. that was the united states of america with me talking to the president of the united states making sure that did not happen. >> thank you. the next question is directed at senator heller. >> to different degrees, nevada has a sense of just how devastating it can be with a dangerous species. realistically, what can you do in the senate to prevent that from happening. ?

for someone who grew up here hunting and fishing, i have a little bit of experience with this. it is not just a big issue for the state of nevada. we are talking an impact it would have agriculture, mining. it would be huge. i have put together a working group. from both sides. we talk about the specific issue, what we can do. lettuce -- let's realize what the problem is. we are poorly managing. because of all this, we are literally ruling -- running the habitat. we will be discussing with washington d.c. and discuss it every day when i am back there. the last thing we need to do is have the impact on mining, agriculture.

it would be devastating for the state. >> thank you for that question. i know what we need to do in order to protect them. we'd have to do everything we can to ensure they are not listed as an endangered species. it would have devastating consequences on a large part of our economy here in nevada. and the renewable energy that are locating the renewable energy equipment on federal property. it is important we keep them out, and prove the habitat so that the state of nevada and other western states are devastated economically -- are not devastated economically. this is an area we do work together and we should, to do something that is good for the

state of nevada by doing something good. >> here is my fear i believe the president will lift it with the support of my opponents. all this comes back to the ability to create jobs here in america. i believe the fire medalists are bent on listing them and you need a center that will fight back and talk to the administration and tell them, it will be a big concern. >> our next question will be directed to the congressman. >> it has been reported that in 2008, you wrote a letter to a

representative over medicare, urging him against lowering medicare rates for dialysis. why in that letter did you not point out that your husband is a kidney specialist, which could be a potential conflict of interest? >> one month -- my one and only concern was to protect the health and well-being of the people of the state of nevada. that is my job. i wrote a letter to pete, but i sit on the same committee with him and i have known for it -- not him for six years. he knows exactly what my husband does. i know my opponent has attacked me on these issues. i can take that. what i cannot take are the attacks on the people of the state of nevada. i voted to create good paying jobs right here in the state, my opponent is coding for big oil companies, nine times giving tax

breaks to big oil companies, voting five times to give tax breaks to corporations that are shipping our jobs overseas, while i am working very hard to make sure we get people back to work, make sure we keep people in their homes, make sure that we protect older americans, protect their social security and medicare, standing with our veterans. my opponent is fighting for the big guys, the guys who do not need their help -- his help. we need a champion in the united states senate. by upon it is planning for the other team. while he wants to throw this often make it sound like it is something it is not, the fact of the matter is i know who i am fighting for in the state and i know my opponent is not. >> thank you. >> character matters. let me repeat that. character matters in life and it matters in the united states senate. my opponent has a big problem. do you know how unusual it is

for the ethics committee in the house with five republicans and five democrats to move toward on an investigation like this? it is big. this year's paris she cannot get away from us. this is a problem. it is a pattern it is a problem she had prior to getting into congress. it is well documented. the bottom line is she keeps talking about jobs going overseas. this is what happens when you do not build that pipeline. she voted against the keystone pipeline. the oil will go to china to create those jobs. she can talk all she wants about trying to create jobs for the middle class. went to those for energy tax, when she votes for obamacare, all the oil in china, who is creating jobs for people in foreign companies? -- foreign countries? >> i think character does matter. you know it is important to the people in the state of nevada at? who will protect them. who will fight for them in the

united states senate. who is working for the middle class? developing our clean energy, we have an abundance of sun and wind in the state of nevada. we need to harness it and get people back to work. we need to take care of them are small businesses. my opponent voted against the act which put people back to work. he voted against the small business jobs fact that even our republican governor in the state of nevada thought would be a very important piece of legislation. i want to create jobs here in the state. i think we should build the keystone pipeline. i want ironclad guarantees the oil that goes to that pipeline stays here in the united states to lower our prices. my opponent voted for and at -- against an amendment. that oil is now shipped to china. >> next question.

>> in a spanish-language ad, you are accused of "want to go back to deporting undocumented students." this is in regards to the dream that. you voted against this bill in 2010. what exactly is the problem with allowing document is students brought to this country as children and to have good moral character to change their legal status? >> thank you. this is something that can be solved in washington. it will take republicans and democrats, together to make this happen. the dream act will not pass. the reason is because the majority party keeps putting it on the floor without amendments or discussion. if you think you will pass a piece of legislation, republican or democrat, and put that thing on the floor and restrict discussion and restrict amendments, it will not pass. there are things we agree on. i would argue we agree on 80%.

i support immigration reform. i have worked with members of the united states senate will try to put together immigration reform. i have had this discussion. let's have this work for america. you should not have to pay thousands of dollars in order to emigrate. you should not have to hire a lawyer. use it -- it cannot take you years. we agree on a lot of things. let's have open discussion. let's not keep throwing a bill on the floor and let's work together. i believe we agree with 80%. we are just arguing over the last 20%. if you have served honorably in the military, you have a right -- you should have the right to stay in the country. you will still have to go to the process. there is a way of solving this. the key is for the republicans and democrats to work together. >> thank you. >> there is a way to solve all

of these challenges. while my opponent talked a very good game, the fact of the matter is his most cannot track his rhetoric. he is opposed to a comprehensive immigration reform. he is in favor of the arizona law and most of it was declared unconstitutional by the united states supreme court. my opponent thought the arizona law was so good he wanted to bring in here to nevada. the one thing i cannot believe he is opposed to is the dream that. he voted against it. at 80% or 20%. he voted against 100% of it. what does it say? it says if you are a youngster who came to the united states through no fault of around and you are in college or you volunteered for military use, you should have a path to legal status. my opponent voted against it. he is on record saying if he remains in the united states

senate, he will vote against it again. the latino families in the state and in this country deserve to have that dream act passed, deserve comprehensive immigration reform. you crack down on employers that are knowingly hiring undocumented workers, you secure your borders, and you give people an opportunity to get to the back of a line and have some legal status when they get to the front. the air as a -- arizona law is a terrible discriminatory law. my opponent wants to bring it to nevada. >> let me talk to you about 20% we disagree. she supports the amnesty at the end of the day. if you put a blanket amnesty on the floor of the house of representatives, she would support it. let's step back. people come into my office. hispanics are concerned about the dream that. they are also concerned about their families, jobs, the

education for their kids, for businesses, and these are the issues we have to solve. their unemployment is higher thanks to my opponent than the general population. we have to put together jobs programs that work. every time my opponent says she voted for a jobs act, the unemployment has gone higher, higher in the state. that has to change. i can remember when she was saying, the stimulus will have 35,000 jobs in nevada. we were losing 65,000 jobs in nevada every time she talks about jobs growth, unemployment goes higher. >> thank you. our next question. >> one of the biggest issues we face on the federal law for is our overwhelming federal debt. has gone beyond just a domestic problem that will affect future generations. it has become a national security issue and a foreign- policy issue. what specific steps do you

propose the united states take to get out of debt or at least make our interest payments easier to live with? >> we have to get our debt under control. and and wasteful spending. this is the way we do it. the first thing we do is stop giving tax breaks to corporations that are shipping out of jobs overseas. my opponent voted five times for that. we have to stop giving big oil tax subsidies. the big guys do not need it. the people in the state of nevada need help, not wall street corporations. after we do that, we can make nevada and this country the clean energy jobs capital of the world's we can generate good paying jobs. let's get people back to work so they are paying taxes. another thing we can do when it comes to our debt is pass a balanced budget amendment. let me tell you what that does. i want to pass a balanced budget amendment, but i will not pass

one, i will not vote for a balanced budget like the ryan budget that my opponent voted for twice, which ends medicare and turns it over to prions -- private insurance companies. let's make sure when my opponent is voting for the big guys, corporations that ship jobs overseas, voting to give big oil more tax breaks, let's take care of the people here at home, make sure we are not balancing the budget on the backs of our seniors, backs of our veterans, and make sure we get our budget under control by ending wasteful spending and working together. >> thank you. >> my opponent does not care about balancing the budget. she does not care about the debt. she has had 14 years in congress to talk about it. this is the first time i have heard her say she does not like the $16 trillion debt we have. sunday is the day we have another trillion dollars for the fourth year in a row.

imagine that. what is a trillion dollars. let's break it down to jobs. that is 20 million jobs at $50,000 apiece. i would rather take that debt, bring it together, solve the problems we have in the country. here is the problem. our revenues 14% of gdp. our expenditures 22%. that is $1.50 trillion. we have to bring that together to 18%. bring bowls simpson to the floor. let's have the argument. we cannot get the majority leader to bring that to the floor. allow amendments and discussion and we can solve this problem if both sides work together. >> my opponents speaks a good game. the fact of the matter is i have been working to bring down the deficit for years. it is very important we do it for the very reason that was stated about national security. let's examine the facts.

my number one, too, and three priorities are creating jobs in the state of nevada. we help small businesses, make nevada the energy jobs capital of the united states, we create good paying jobs right here in the state of nevada, help our tourism industry create good paying jobs. my opponent does not do anything for middle income families. he does nothing to get people back to work. i am fighting day and night to make sure we get good paying jobs, that we keep people in their homes, that would protect medicare, and social security. my opponent is voting for budget after budget that takes away and balances our budget on the backs of our senior citizens and our veterans. >> thank you. our next question is directed at senator heller. >> into the 11th, you voted twice, once as a congressman and once at a senator, for a plan

that would change the medicare program. could you explain your plan for medicare under -- for those under 55, because those are the people who would be impacted. >> i have -- my father turns 79 on saturday. both the mother and my father rely on social security and medicare. in my father's case, veterans' benefits. my father has had a lot of surgery. he would not be celebrating his 79th birthday if it what -- if it were not for veterans benefits and medicare. i may problems -- promise. i would not do anything that would change your social security and medicare benefits as long as they were in the system. i have held true to that promise. i will continue to do so as long as i live and as long as i am in washington d.c.. we have to take a look at men

effect -- medicare. my opponent keeps stealing from the program. she needs to quit stealing. she took a trillion dollars out of medicare over the last five years, $700 billion, just to give it to obamacare. we need to stop doing that. we have 12% unemployment in the state. a% across the country. my opponent keeps saying jobs. every time she votes for a jobs bill, unemployment goes higher. do not believe it. do not believe it. that is not the way it works. she is helping wall street. she is helping big oil. she is helping big banks. you name it. detroit. she will bail it out. she says she is proud of it and she will do it again. >> [laughter] my opponent voted not once but twice for the ryan budget that ends medicare by turning it over to private insurance companies. that is what will happen. experts say it will increase the

cost of medicare -- medical care by 60 $500,000 a year -- by $650,000 a year. it is a bad idea and he said he is proud to do it. my not my opponent knows i did not cut money out of medicare- guaranteed benefits. we voted to eliminate payments to insurance companies. overpayments to insurance companies and we extend the life of medicare by nine years. that is a pretty good deal. my opponent cannot be too upset about those votes because he voted for that exact same so- called cut in the ryan budget. it was not in the right budget. he did not vote once for that. twice it cannot be that bad --

twice. it cannot be that bad. it takes a lot of brass for someone to accuse me for doing something they have done twice. >> thank you. i have never heard someone give an answer that said they did not do it and then they did do it in the same response. she continues to tell a lie of the year. continuing to tell a lie of the year, even with confidence, is still the lie of the year. she talks about the budget. all i want to is to -- all i want is to move it forward. the rhine budget would not pass because it is the republican budget. we need a democrat budget. we could not get one. we could not get the majority leader to have a budget hearing. could not happen. i do not feel like have to explain this to my own department -- opponent. you bring everyone together and solve problems.

i want solutions. you cannot have solutions if one side will not talk. >> thank you. the next question is directed at the congresswoman. >> since january of 2007, nevada is at the top of the nation in regards to foreclosures. what is your clear plan for mourn of baden's -- more nevadan s? >> nobody knows the importance of home ownership better than i. i know very well when my father, who was a waiter, other than the times he walked both my sister and me down the aisle, i think his proudest moment is when he was able to afford a house for us. we put down roots in the community. we made us -- it made us feel important. homeownership is important. there is nobody who has done more to keep people in their homes that i have because i understand the importance of

the. i think we should allow for principal right down. there are too many of our families who are in foreclosure. they cannot afford mortgages. they are under water. a principal write-down, they can afford their homes and stay in them. give these people the opportunity to be able to pay a mortgage. it may not be what the of original mortgage was, but their homes are almost worth almost half the value of what they paid for it. give these people an opportunity to stay in their homes. keep their neighborhoods whole. keep their houses from becoming dilapidated and lowering the property values of the rest of the neighborhood. home ownership is important. making sure we keep our fellow citizens in their homes is very important, as well. holding the wall street banks accountable for having gotten us in the mess in the first place, that is a very important thing to do, as well.

>> my apologies to explain how flippant homes helps the middle class. i will tell you this. she started the process in 1999. it was the beginning of the end of the housing industry. she repealed the the regulation of the banking industry. they wanted it. they came to our again. she bail them out. they said, they cannot want the act anymore and that was the beginning of the end of the housing crisis we have in nevada and across the country. this is the purpose of my legislation. i want people to stay in their homes. it is called the home act. this is what it does. if you are faced with foreclosure, i want you to stay in your mom -- in your home. i want you to stay in your home for five or six years. when you are creditworthy again, you have the opportunity to buy that house back at whatever the current price is. you can lease the home and buy

it back. these family in their homes. it keeps children in their schools. it keeps the neighborhood from deteriorating. these the kinds of ideas we need in washington d.c. these are the solutions we need. >> thank you. >> thank you. no one has worked harder than i have in order to keep constituents in their homes. there are a number of things we have done and can do. my opponent voted against every one of them. it is amazing during el -- an election year where he has all the sudden had pieces of legislation that are supposed to help the people of nevada when he has never helped them before. it is important to ensure we never get in this mess again. i voted for sensible wall street reform to hold the wall street banks accountable. they have got us into this problem. our fellow citizens have lost their homes, lost their jobs, and my opponent is busy

supporting wall street. i supported the wall street reform act because i want to hold these people accountable for what they did to this country. my opponent voted against it. he is still standing with the big guys against the people who are in foreclosure. instead of protecting the people in the state of nevada, he is working on wall street. >> thank you. >> senator heller, what is nv's best role as a producer of renewable energy and its technology? to what extent should the federal government subsidize these endeavors? >> first of all, think for the question. first of all, the federal government should be involved. that is why i supported some of the tax and the ability for them to move forward, get the tax credits they needed to move toward. i believe we ought to concentrate here in north america. my opponent thinks our oil should come from the middle east. i think it to be coming from

north america and south america. now she supports the pipeline. nevada has a real opportunity for renewable energy. we have the most geothermal plants than anywhere else in the country. san as solar. between las vegas. some of the most intense solar rays we have in the country. we ought to be taking advantage of it. as a republican, i voted against my party for the renewable standards. i think it is critically important we have that so we can move forward on these particular issues. it includes grenoble, oil, coal, i want to get america back to work. this devastated impact in my opponent voting record has and her inability to go after natural resources, it will create tens of thousands of jobs.

>> we need a good energy policy in this country. it has a lower energy costs. it needs to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. it needs to develop our renewable energy sources. nevada can be at the center of renewable clean energy, job creation. we can create a product that we need, energy. my opponent, in spite of what he said, he voted to slash investments in grenoble energy companies when he voted nine times to give tax breaks to big oil companies. i know this state has an abundance of sun, wind, and geothermal. we need to harness this energy. my opponent keeps voting with big oil. how will we get beyond big oil and our dependence on it and

develop the energy sources that we have right here in the state of nevada where we can put nevadans back to work. that is who i am fighting for. my opponent is still standing with big oil. still making sure we will take care with the big guys instead of the people here in the state of nevada. let's build the keystone pipeline but let's make sure the oil that is going to the pipeline stays here in nevada to lower our energy costs and is not put on a tanker and sent over to china to bring down their energy costs. >> it is amazing my opponent like to demonize certain industries. it is the oil industry at this point. all these dirty profits she is talking about. there is only one person who invested big oil, millions of dollars. that is my opponent. i will create millions of jobs in our country. we will tell every hardworking american that your taxes are not

going up. we do not want to raise your taxes. my opponent voted for the fiscal cliff. she says she is against it now. she voted for it. let's go after our own energy. natural energy. let's go after the pipeline. we can do a lot. 10,000 jobs directly. 100,000 indirectly. there are a lot of things we can do that we have to reappear -- repeal this new health care bill that is killing the middle class. i hope we get a chance to talk more about that. >> we have time for another question. it will be directed to congressman -- congresswoman berkeley. >> both of you had stood tall for veterans during the campaign. many are concerned about looming defense cuts. if they come, how can you make sure nv's air force base, naval force base and, all economic

engines for those communities, stay viable pieces of nevada? , every generation, our nation calls upon men and women to go and fight for us. they sacrifice a great deal, they risk their lives, and when they come back, we need to make sure we provide these veterans with the benefits we promised them. that is why i was so proud to be able to help build the hospital, the brand-new hospital in nevada. it will take care of veterans dropped the state. that is why i passed the bill so we can provide resources for people who are coming back from the field of battle with problems and emotional problems. when my opponent had a chance to stand with veterans and fight

with them, or fight four big oil, he chose to fight four big oil and give them tax breaks instead of making sure we protected the homeless veterans. there was a homeless veterans housing voucher program my opponent voted to gut and to end so he could continue giving tax breaks to big oils and corporations to ship our jobs overseas. we have a lot to be proud of when it comes to support for our veterans. we need to make sure we take care of them and we honor the promises that we have made to our veterans in this country. >> excuse me. i might have missed it, but i did not hear your plans on saving the air force base, the naval air station, and the end of debt -- depot -- the ammo depot. >> i was going to do that in my second minute. i thought it was important to talk about our veterans and give them the on the desert.

>> ok. senator heller. >> it was my legislation under women's homeless act, i amendment that was passed, that will help homeless veteran women and allow them, with their children to get the support they need. my point is not telling you she voted for sequestration. she voted to cut these budgets, the very issues we are talking about. she voted for it. now she is saying she is against -- i love how that practicality works. sequestration also cuts care. she talks about the promises we give to veterans. my father and my brother is a veteran. yeah sequestration cuts try care. it reduces benefits. my opponent says one thing and does another. it also cut medicare.

secretary panetta says it is a bad piece of legislation. i a great. it is. that is why i voted against it. >> sequestration will never happen because it will have catastrophic consequences on the economy of the nation. i am willing to sit and work with anybody to get our budget under control and stop wasteful spending. i will answer the question now. i have spent the last 14 years making sure those bases get the resources they need it because it is important for national defense and the state of nevada has -- plays second fiddle to no one when it comes to national defense went our men and women go and fight for this country, that they are able to have the

best equipment and the best resources that this nation can give them. i am not worried about that because we will ensure those places are well protected and their budgets will stay intact. >> thank you. the next question is for senator heller. >> the school district is the fifth largest of its kind in the nation. it has over 60,000 students. nevada has one of the worst academic task force in the country. -- test scores in the country. >> i think that is an important question, especially for our economy. i want to point out one thing. she posed for sequestration and now says it will not happen. she goes for the fiscal cliff and now she says it will not happen. can you imagine that kind of leadership? us talk about education. this is the problem i see. we have a department of

education in washington. they have 3500 employees that make over $100,000 a year. they are dictating to the school district -- district how to do their jobs. i think that is a shame and it is wrong. i am not talking about closing down the department of education. i have never said that and never will. can we reduce the size of that department of education and get that money down to the school district? i believe the best education for children in nevada comes between parents, teachers, and principles. those are who should be making the decisions. >> if i could quickly comment. my opponent mention my vote on sequestration. just a few questions ago, he said he voted to end medicare by turning it over to private insurance companies twice. he said he was proud to any said he does not mean it, it would

never pass anyway. all right, look. i understand the importance of a good education. i am the first person in my family to go to college. a good education changes your life. our students here are not competing anymore -- just competing anymore with people -- places in the unites states. they are competing with other emerging economies across the planet. i was astonished knowing the importance of a quality education when my opponent voted to slash grants and voted to increase the interest payments on student loans. that is how i went to school. that is how thousands of nevada at middle income families go to school. they depend on it. my opponent voted to slash. as far as the department of education is concerned, at the lincoln county dinner, he very

clearly said it is exactly what he would do, eliminate the department of education. >> thank you. >> that is not accurate but that is fine. my opponent in 2010 voted against the loan program. it held generation -- helped generations of americans get their education. she has to be careful with what she said. my wife is a schoolteacher. she taught school and works within school districts. she understands the importance of parents, teachers, and principles working for the better education of those students. this is what you get. you get 3500 bureaucrats sitting round a table and try to figure out how to dictate what they ought to be teaching their children. it usually comes with unfunded mandates. a stake those billions and get it to the state of nevada. i have far more confidence in the government -- and the

governor that i do with those bureaucrats. >> it is time for the candidates to make their closing statements. congresswoman berkeley, you are up first. >> thank you. when i first came to nevada as a child, i knew that this was a place for me to be. my family made a life for ourselves in this state, and i think it is very important for me to make sure that those who come behind me, and rations to come, have the same opportunities that my family had when we first came to nevada. this election is about the falling. people come over to me and say, i never missed a day of work. i never missed a mortgage payment.

i lost my job. i lost my home. what will i do? the answer to that question is what this election will be about. who will stick up for the people of the state oif nevada? make sure we concentrate on good paying jobs here in the state and we keep people in their homes and we protect older americans from ending their um -- ending their medicare. someone who stands with our veterans and make sure they get the benefits they deserve. my opponent is planning for the other side. he is taking care of the big guys. they do not need our help. wall street corporations, big oil companies, they are doing fine. the people in the state of nevada need a champion. at that time, my opponent was championing the wealthiest among us. i think the people in the stated that the state of nevada know just by listening to us and who

is in their corner and who fights for them every day. i am asking for your vote so i can continue to help the people in the state of nevada. >> thank you. >> thank you again and thank you for taking the time. i appreciate those at the anniversary -- at the university. i think it has been very informative. tomorrow morning, one in five american men will not go to work. we have 1 million less women working today than four years ago appeared for every job, for every real job that is created here in this country, four disappeared. drive around the state. this is the problem we have in america today. it is like driving through a snowstorm. the speed limit may say you can go 65 or 70 miles per hour, but everyone is driving at 20 m.p.h. because they are afraid of the

next crash. that is where american families and businesses are today. they can be going 65 or 70 miles an hour but they have come to a screeching halt because of the economic policies of my opponent. the policies are like a big wet blanket on economic -- economic growth on this country. the good news is it can change. we can take this country down the right road. i have seen it before in 1981 while reagan became president. he created 40 million jobs. i believe we can do that again. i need your help and your support. i believe we can turn this country around. i believe we can turn that around. this is what will happen. i am thrilled and proud to be the united states senator. i need your vote come november 6. thank you. >> that includes tonight's debate. i would like to thank the canada's, -- the candidates. i would like to thank you for

joining us. good night. >> hour debate coverage continues friday night. the candidates are tommy thopson and tammy baldwin. their debate will be live on c- span. >> to foster work and enterprise in the middle east, working with the private sector, we will identify the barriers to investment and trade an entrepreneur ship, entrepreneurialism, in developing nations.

developing nations will receive u.s. assistance packages focused on developing the institution of liberty, law, and property rights. >> we believe freedom and self- determination are not unique to one culture. it is not simply american values or western values. they are universal values. even as there will be huge challenges to come, i am convinced that ultimately, government of the people by the people and for the people is more likely to bring about stability, prosperity, an individual opportunity for peace in our world. >> next wednesday, mitt romney and president obama meet in their first presidential debate. watch and engage with c-span, including our live debate preview at 7:00 p.m. eastern. the bait -- the debate at 9:00. after the debate, your reactions.

follows on c-span, c-span radio, and online at c-span not work. >> the first of the presidential debates is next wednesday, live on c-span, c-span radio, and .org.e at c-span not wo first, the israeli prime minister. followed by palestinian -- palestinian president. on tomorrow's washington journal, maria bartiromo joins us. and we will talk to dr. marty makary about errors in u.s.

hospitals. also in discussion with william wiatrowski. washington journal is live every day at 7:00 eastern. >> the first thing in our article is getting medicare costs under control. that is the number one priority and is the most untouchable thing. that will cause more trouble than any other problem we have fiscally in the united states. getting medicare costs under control is the number one thing. >> you say we also surcharge smokers and the obese for their coverage. >> i am the person who put that in the memo, but i did not have to fight very hard for it.

this is something i ran in the washington post. instead of calling people obis, i refer to them as mega fatties. i was referred to as being insensitive, which i guess i probably am. this is another thing where everybody knows it to be true, and somebody has to pay for it. i did not say you have to bankrupt people, but there should be penalties. i am not really a democrat, but i am a democrat compared to him. he have to be responsible to some extent for your personal behavior. >> we should point out also that we are not the only ones making arguments like this. there have been other bipartisan commission's. the task force headed by a democrat and republican said with regard to medicare, we need to do something about the obese

and smokers. they also had a proposal more complicated than ours for restricting the spending on the end of life care. these are difficult, painful decisions. we are going to have to face them. >> fixing the economy, sunday at 8:00 on c-span's "q &a." >> prime minister netanyahu address the assembly today. his comments are one half hour. [applause] >> thank you. >> we invite prime minister netanyahu to speak before the

assembly. >> thank you. it is a pleasure to see the general assembly presided by the ambassador from israel. it is good to see all of you distinguished delegates. ladies and gentlemen, 3000 years ago king david reigned over the jewish states in the capitol of jerusalem. i say that to all of those who proclaim that the jewish state has no roots in our region and that it will soon disappear. throughout our history, the jewish people have overcome all of the tyrants who have sought our destruction.

it is their ideologies that have been discarded by history. the people of israel live on. we say in hebrew -- [speaking in hebrew] we live forever. [applause] the jewish people have lived in the land of israel for thousands of years. even after most of our people were exiled, jews continued to live in the land in israel throughout the ages. our people never gave up the dream of returning to our ancient homeland. defying the laws of history, we did just that.

we gathered the exiles. we restored our independence and rebuilt our life. the jewish people have come home. we will never be uprooted again. [applause] yesterday was yom kippur. we have come together on this day of reflection and atonement. we take stock of our past. we pray for our future. we remembered our persecution. we remember the great travails of our dispersion.

we mourn the extermination of 6 million people in the holocaust. but at the end of yom kippur, we celebrate the birth of israel. we celebrate the heroism of our young men and women who defended israel. in israel, we walk the same paths tried by abraham and jacob. we blaze new trails in science, technology, medicine, agriculture. in israel, the past and the

future find common ground. unfortunately, that is not the case in many other countries. today, a great battle is being waged between the modern and the medieval. the forces of modernity seek a bright future in which the rights of everyone is protected. in which every life is sacred. the forces of medievalism seek a world in which women and minorities are segregated, knowledge is suppressed, and in which not life, but death is glorified. nowhere more starkly than in the middle east.

israel stands proudly with the forces of modernity. we protect the rights of all of our citizens, men and women, jews and arabs, muslims and christians. all are equal before the law. our scientists win nobel prizes. we prevent hunger by irrigating land in africa and asia. recently i was deeply moved when i visited one of our technological institutes. i saw a man paralyzed from the waist down climb up a flight of stairs fairly easily with the aid of an isreali man. isreal's exceptional creativity

is matched with passion. when disaster strikes anywhere in the world, isreali doctors are among the first on the scene. i have lost both my father and father-in-law. in the same hospital wards where they retreated, isreali doctors were treating arabs. thousands of arabs from the palestinian territories and arabs from throughout the middle east come to israel to be treated in isreali hospitals by isreali doctors.

that is the truth. it is important that you are aware of this. it is because isreal treasures life. isreal treasures peace and seeks peace. we seek to preserve our historic ties and peace treaties with egypt and jordan. we seek to forge peace with the palestinians. president abbas just spoke here. we will not solve our conflicts with libel speeches at the u.n. we have to sit together and negotiate together and reach a mutual compromise in which a palestinian state recognizes

the one and only jewish state. [applause] israel wants to see middle east progress and peace. we want to see the three great legions that sprang forth from our region -- christianity, and muslim. they seek supremacy over all. they want to destroy israel and america. they want to distinguish freedom. they want to end the modern world.

militant islam has many branches, from the rulers of iran with the revolutionary guards, to al qaeda terrorists and the radicalists lurking in every part of the globe. despite the differences, they are all rooted in the same bitter soil of intolerance. that intolerance is directed first to their fellow muslims and then to christians, jews, buddhists, hindus, and secular people. i am sure of one thing -- ultimately, they will fail. light will penetrate the darkness. we have seen that happen before. some 500 years ago, the printing press helped pry europe out of

the dark age. eventually ignorance gave way to enlightenment. so too with the middle east yield to the power of technology. when this happens, our region will be guided not by fanaticism and conspiracies, but by reason and curiosity. i think the relevant question is this -- it is not whether this fanaticism will be defeated. it is, how many lives will be lost before it is defeated? we have seen that happen before,

too. some 70 years ago, the world saw another fanatic ideology bent on world conquest. it went down in flames, but not before it took millions of people with it. those who oppose the fanaticism waited too long to react. in the end, the tyrant, but at a horrific cost. my friends, we cannot let that happen again. at stake is not nearly the future of my country, but the stake of the future of the world. nothing can imperil our common future more than the army of iran with nuclear weapons. to understand what the world will be like with a nuclear- armed iran, imagine the world with a nuclear armed al qaeda.

it makes little difference whether these lethal weapons are in the hands of the world's most dangerous terrorist regime or the world will the mark most dangerous organization. they are both driven by hatred and the lust for violence. look of what the iranian regime has done up to now. without nuclear weapons. in 2009, they brutally put down the protest in their country. there are thousands of syrians who are slaughtered, including children. they have better the killing in soldiers in iraq and continue to do so in afghanistan. before that, that killed hundreds of american troops in

saudi arabia. thousands of these rockets have been fired at israeli communities. in the last year, they have spread the international terror networks to two dozen countries across the continents india to bulgaria. they have even plotted to blow up a restaurant a few blocks from the white house in order to kill a diplomats. of course, the iran rulers repeatedly denied the holocaust. they called for israel's

destruction on a daily basis, as they did this week from the united nations. i asked you, given this record of an iranian aggression without nuclear weapons, imagine an iranian aggression with nuclear weapons. imagine their long-range missiles fit with nuclear warheads. their terror networks armed with atomic bombs. who among you would feel safe in the middle east? who would be safe in europe? who would be safe in america? who would be safe anywhere? there are those who believe that a nuclear-armed iran can be deterred like a soviet union.

that is a very dangerous assumption. militant jihadists behave very differently from secular marxists. they are no soviet suicide bombers. deterrents worked with the soviets because every time the soviets faced a choice between the ideology and their survival, they chose their survival. the deterrent do not work with iranians once they get nuclear- weapons. there is a great scholar in the middle east professor lewis who

put it like this -- for iran, mutually assured destruction is not a deterrent. it is an inducement. iran's apocalyptic leaders believe that a holy man will reappear in the wake of a devastating holy war and ensuring that their brand of radical islam will rule the earth. that is not only what they believe, but what is guiding their policies and actions. he said, "the use of one nuclear bomb in israel would kill everything. it is not irrational to contemplate such an eventuality." that is coming from one of the so-called "moderates" of iran. shockingly, some people have begun to peddle that absurd

notion that a nuclear of iran would actually stabilize the middle east. yeah, right. that is like saying a nuclear armed al qaeda with our share in an era of universal peace. ladies and gentlemen, i have been speaking about the need to prevent iran from developing nuclear weapons for over 15 years. i spoke about it in my first term in office as prime minister. i spoke about it when i left office. i spoke about it when it was fashionable and i spoke about it when it was not fashionable. and speak about it now because the hour is getting a late, very late. i speak of it now because the iranian nuclear calendar does not take time out for anyone or for anything. i speak about it now because

when it comes to the survival of my country, it is not only my right to speak, it is my duty to speak. [applause] i believe that this is the duty of every responsible leader who wants to preserve world peace. for nearly a decade, the international community has tried to stop the iranian nuclear program with diplomacy. that has not worked. iran uses diplomatic negotiations as a means to buy

time to advance its nuclear program. for over seven years, over seven years the international community has tried sanctions with iran. under the leadership of president obama and the international community, the united nations has put them under some of the strongest sanctions today. oil exports have been correct. the iranian economy has been hit hard. it does have an effect on the economy. we must face the truth. sanctions have not stopped iran's nuclear program. according to the international atomic energy agency, during the last year alone, iran has doubled the number of energy uses in its underground nuclear facility. at this late hour, there is only one way to peacefully prevent iran from getting atomic bombs, and that is by placing a clear red line on iran's nuclear weapons program. [applause]

red lines do not lead to war. they prevent war. look at nato's charter. it made clear that an attack on one member country would be considered an attack on all. red lines have helped keep the peace in europe for nearly half a century. and help preserve the peace for decades. it is the failure to place red lines that has often invited aggression. if it were drawn in the 1930's, world war ii might have been avoided. the first gulf war might have been avoided. clear, red lines will also work

with iran. earlier this year, they threatened to close the strait. the united states drew a clear, red line. iran backed off. different lines can be drawn in the i iranian nuclear program. but to be credible, a line must be drawn first and foremost in one vital part of their program -- on their efforts to enrich uranium. let me explain why. any bomb consists of an explosive material and a

mechanism to ignite it. the simplest example is gunpowder and a fuse. you light the fuse and set off the gunpowder. the gunpowder is enriched uranium. the fuse is a detonator. for iran, amassing enough uranium is far more difficult than producing a nuclear fuse. for a country like iran, it takes many, many years to enrich uranium for a bomb. that requires thousands of center fuses spinning in tandem in big industrial plants.

those are green plants are visible. they are still vulnerable. in contrast, iran could produce a detonator, the fuse, in a lot less time. maybe under a year. maybe only a few months. the detonator can be made in a small workshop the size of the classroom. it might be difficult to find and target that workshop, especially in iran. that is a country that is bigger than france, germany, italy, and britain combined. the same is true for the small facility in which they can assemble a warhead or a nuclear device that could be placed in a container ship. chances are, you'll not find that facility either. the only way that you can credibly prevent iran from developing a nuclear weapon is

to prevent iran from amassing enough enriched uranium for a bomb. how much enriched uranium do you need for a bomb? how close is iran to getting it? let me show you. i have a diagram for you. here is the diagram. this is a bomb. this is the fuse. in the case of iran's plan to build a nuclear bomb, this bomb has to be filled with enough enriched uranium. iran has to go through three stages. the first page, they have to enrich enough uranium. second, they need to enrich enough medium uranium.

the third and final stage, they have to enrich high uranium. iran has completed the first stage. it took them many years, but they have completed it. they are 70% of the way there. they are well into the second stage. by next spring, at most by the summer, they will have finished the medium enrichment and move on into the final stage. they will have enough uranium for the first bomb. what i have told you is not based on secret information. it is not based on military intelligence. it is based on the public report of the international atomic energy agency.

anyone can read them. they are online. if these are the facts, and they are, why should a red line be drawn? a red line should be drawn right here. before you run completes the second stage of nuclear enrichment necessary to make a bomb, before iran gets to a point where it is a few months or weeks away from amassing enough uranium to make a nuclear weapon. each day that point is getting closer. and that is why i speak with such urgency.

that is why everyone should have a sense of the urgency. there are some who claim that even if you run completes the iranian process, even if it crosses that red line, our intelligence agencies will know where and when iran will light the fuse. no one appreciates our intelligence agencies more than the prime minister of israel. all of these leading intelligence agencies are superb, including ours. they have foiled many attacks and have saved many lives, but they are not foolproof. our intelligence agencies did not know that iran is building a huge uranium plant under a mountain for two years. ladies and gentlemen, the relevant question is not when iran will get the bomb. the relevant question is, at

what stage, no longer stop iran from getting the bomb? the red line must be drawn on their enrichment uranium program. these facilities are the only nuclear installations that we can definitely see and credibly target. faced with a red line, iran will back down. this will give us more time with diplomacy and sanctions to dismantle its nuclear program altogether.

two days ago from this podium, president obama reiterated that the threat of nuclear arms iran cannot be contained. i very much appreciate his position, as does everyone in my country. we share the goal of stopping iran's nuclear weapons program. this will unite the people and the leaders of the world. but i said today will help ensure that this common goal is achieved. israel is in discussions with the united states over this issue. i am confident that we can chart a path forward together.

ladies and gentlemen, the clash between the modernity and medievalism is -- the jewish people have always looked toward the future. throughout history, we have been at the forefront of efforts to expand liberty and promote equality and human rights. we have championed these principles. we treat all with dignity and compassion, pursue justice and cherish life, and pray and strive for peace. these are the jewish people's

greatest gift to mankind. we commit ourselves to defend these values so that we can protect these freedoms and protect civilization. thank you. [applause] >> abbas criticized israel for what he called an occupying campaign against the palestinians. [applause] >> i have a great pleasure in welcoming the palestinian organization and president of

the palestinian authority, his presidency mahmoud abbas to address the assembly. >> in the name of god, the compassionate and the merciful, president of the general assembly, ladies and gentlemen, i wish to begin by extending appreciation to the heads of all delegations. we stressed the urgency for progress toward the realization of a just peace in our region and for the fulfillment by the

palestinian people for the national rights. ladies and gentlemen, developments over the past year have confirmed what we have persistently drawn attention to and warned of the catastrophic danger. during the past month, attacks by terrorists have become a daily reality. we are facing relentless attacks against our people, our monks, monasteries, and schools. they are unleashing against crops and properties. our people have become targets

and abused with occupying forces and the israeli government. the settler is attack should not surprise anyone, for it is the inherent code on the continuation of occupation anti-dormant policy that deems the satisfaction to be the absolute priority. it is that isreali curriculum and extremist opinions that are

ripe with hatred and are rooted in discriminatory laws created and enacted over the years against the palestinian people, as well as by the security apparatus which provide excuse after excuse for the accelerated -- the fabricate excuses for soldiers who have committed what are clearly considered crimes and acts of murder, torture, and abuse. over the past year since the convening of the general assembly's previous assembly, the occupying insisted -- it is

a campaign aimed at altering the history's mankind. it is a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the palestinian people via demolition of their homes and prevention of their construction and residency rights and the denial of basic services and schools. they took the city and prevent millions of palestinians from 3 accessing its schools, churches, hospitals, and markets.

the occupying power has continued its construction and expansion of settlements in areas throughout the west bank and continued suffocating locals and raids against people who continue to suffer from the destructive aggression committed against them years ago. nearly 5000 palestinians also remain captive as prisoners and detainees in isreali jails. we call on the international community to tell the government of israel to respect our conventions and to investigate the conditions of the detention of the detainees. we ask for their release. they are soldiers in their struggle for freedom and peace.

at the same time, the occupying power continues to fight and besieged and to influence severe restrictions on movement, preventing the palestinian authorities from instrumented vital infrastructure projects and providing services to its citizens. they are being prevented from cultivating their lands and water from being irrigated. in vast areas of the occupied palestinian territory which are classified as serious subject to the absolute control of occupation encompassing approximately 60% of the west bank territory.

the occupying power continues to deliberately demolish what we are building. they are destroying the projects involving building roads and homes for its citizens and agricultural facilities. in fact, over the past 12 months, the israeli occupying forces have demolished a 510 palestinian structures in these areas, displacing 770 palestinians from their homes. these measures have caused great damage to our economy and impeded our development activity. the compound our people under occupation and from by financial institutions.

is a real policy is leading to the weakening of the mining and ability to carry out its functions. it threatens to undermine its very existence or threaten its collapse. all of this is taking place in the context of an isreali political discourse that does not hesitate to brandish an aggressive extremist positions. it is in sight and religious conflict. this is something we firmly abject based on our principles and convictions. due to our understanding of

what it means to fuel such fires in this very sensitive area full of explosives and how it can fuel the action of extremists from various quarters, especially those trying to be tolerant. ladies and gentlemen, as proof of our seriousness and sincere intention to create an opening conducted [indiscernible] at the beginning of this year upon the initiative of the kingdom of jordan. we have also encouraged the expressed desires of several countries to contribute to efforts to break the cycle of

deadlock. we have also undertaken an initiative to have favorable conditions. unfortunately, the result of all of these initiatives has been very negative. mr. president, ladies and gentlemen, there can only be one meeting of debt is a of government actions in our homeland. a permanent status agreement to end the conflict and achieve peace. when understanding leads to one conclusion. the isreali accepts the two

state solution. the two state solution, namely the state of palestinian coexist with the state of israel, represents the spirit of this for a compromise in this declaration of principles signed 19 years ago. it is a compromise in which the palestinian people accepted to establish their state and only 22% of the territory of historic palestine. there is an intensification of isreali measures in the emptying the course -- they're making it the extremely difficult if not impossible. mr. president, ladies and gentlemen, isreali government has large areas in the occupied

palestinian territory. they continue to occupy a large area of the territory. it refuses to engage in any serious discussion of the palestinian refugees. it wants to continue its occupation of palestinian warfare and its control over the most across the areas in our land, air, borders, and our life in its entirety.

the border can be done in accordance with isreali show as the following -- there are checkpoints and vast security along roads devoted to people being subject to the full dominance of military occupation and package under new names for a so-called state with borders. i repeat, a state with provisional borders. we categorically reject this

because it should not bring about peace. mr. president, if we refuse to allow the palestinian people to attain their rights and freedoms and reject these establishment from the state of palestine, israel is promising the palestinian people a new catastrophe. a new setback. i speak on behalf of an angry people, and people that feel while they fight for their right to freedom and adhere to the principles and rules of international law, rewards continue to be logically -- isreal continues to enjoy

impunity. some continue to obstruct the adoption of a position regarding isreali law and covenant. this represents a license for the occupation to continue its policy of dispossession and ethnic cleansing to entrench its system on the palestinian people. ladies and gentlemen, despite our genuine feelings of anger, we in the name of the palestinian organization and the sole representative of the palestinian people, the sole

legitimate representative of the palestinian people will not accept to be divided into two. we are the sole legitimate representative of the palestinian people. i reaffirm that we are as committed to peace and international diplomacy in this covenant as much as we are equally and by the same measure upholding our inalienable rights and aspirations. we reaffirm the we are committed to non-violence. we reject terrorist in all its forms. despite our feelings of disappointment and our despair, we continue to sincerely extend our hand in peace to the isreali people. we realize that the two people

must live and co exist each in their respective state in the holy land. further, we also realized that the way to make peace is through negotiations between the palestinian organization and israel. despite the complexities of reality at all of the frustrations that we face before the international community, there is still a chance to save the two state solution and to salvage peace. however, this urgent fact must be pursued by a new approach. to repeat and experience that is futile. this would result in failure and provide a cover for occupation and deal the final blow to a dying peace process.

those who advise us to wait, the festering situation us in our country has its own timing. it cannot stand further procrastination or delay. the approach requires for salvaging the chance of peace. it must be predicated on the understanding [indiscernible] this approach also requires a reaffirmation and adherence to

the terms and basics of the solution to the concept which had been endorsed by all of you. the core component of it do not require -- what is needed is the will to implement these components. merit the negotiations are not required to define them. rather what is needed is the sincere intention to reach peace. of those components are by no means intractable riddles. they are clear. this includes the establishment of an independent state of palestine with east jerusalem as its capital over the entire territory occupied by isreal and the realization of a just

agreed solution to the palestine issues in accordance with resolution 194.3. indeed, the fundamental components of the solution to the conflict exist in the documents and resolutions of the united nations. you have it. it is also endorsed in the resolutions of regional organizations beginning with arab states and islamic cooperation and the african is union. it can be found in the statements of the european union and in that international quartet. however, what is the use of those documents if is encouraged to continue to oppose the terms of reference?

the international community embodied in the united nations is required now more than ever before to uphold its responsibility. the security council is called upon to are gently adopt a resolution comprising the basis and foundation for a solution to the palestinian and israeli conflict that would serve as a binding reference and guidance for the two states of israel and palestine if to prevail in the land of peace, the birthplace of jesus, peace be upon him, the profit mohamad, peace be upon him, and abraham, peace be upon him. mr. president, ladies and gentlemen, all things

considered, the establishment of the free and independent state of palestine is a right to the people that must be realized. it is long overdue for too many decades. it is a right. the palestinian people are entitled to this right. [applause] at the same time, the palestinian national authority has affirmed new implementation of its state building program. it will have an effective modern state through the development of the performance of its execution and finance

management to the adoption of transparency, accountability and rules of good governance. these achievements have been deemed by the liaison committee, the world bank, and the imf to constitute an impressive undertaking and success story. the latest report confirmed a full palestinian authority for the transition to an independent state while at the same type stressing that the isreali of the picture remains the only obstacle at this time. the only obstacle at this time. mr. president, ladies